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- Recent damage to undersea pipelines and cables in Europe has raised concern among NATO members.
- They fear that Russia could interfere with seabed infrastructure to put pressure on the alliance.
- But legal and environmental difficulties complicate NATO's ability to secure that infrastructure.
Recent damage to cables and a pipeline off the coast of NATO's newest member has added to the alliance's concerns about its ability to defend infrastructure on the seafloor, where the laws of nature and of international relations limit how it can respond.