I would love to go back to pre-internet days, but the deeper we get into the Age of Technology, the more crippling an attack like this would be. As for the Russian's cutting themselves off, perhaps they have created an independent internet system of their own or they have prepared themselves with paper documents so they can live without it.

Your comments made me think about 'end of civilization as we know it' movies, and that none of them have picked up on this worrying, but ripe for Hollywood theme.

I agree. This is really scary to think about. If something like this ever happened I think that there would be wide-spread panic. Everything nowadays is done solely over the internet and without it there would be so many things lost to everyone, not only medically, but financially, and socially. Let's hope that we never have to experience anything like this.

As we move more and more to the cloud, this is rather scary to think about. Even our medical information is out there somewhere as many doctor's offices don't even keep paper records anymore. Losing internet access on a widespread basis could wreak havoc with the world economy, let alone our daily lives.

Like you I can't imagine living without the modern day electronics. However, it was more fun in the old days.

Heck, this is scary stuff, and all the more so because it is entirely possible. I can't say I know a lot about this kind of thing so have to ask - would cutting these cables affect their own Internet connections?

I know sometimes I think fondly of the pre-net days when life and social relationships seemed simpler, but I can't really imagine being without it.

The NY Times reports:
"Russian submarines and spy ships are aggressively operating near the vital undersea cables that carry almost all global Internet communications, raising concerns among some American military and intelligence officials that the Russians might be planning to attack those lines in times of tension or conflict."

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/26/world/europe/russian-presence-near-undersea-cables-concerns-us.html?_r=1

A little reminder that we shouldn't depend on man made things IMHO.