Global Internet Routing: Why Russian Traffic Took a Detour Through the USA

Internet traffic is not just a sequence of data transmitted between two points. It is a complex infrastructural network where every route can surprise with its unpredictability. GeoCables recorded one such case: a packet sent from Rostov-on-Don (Russia) to Singapore traveled nearly 8,000 km of extra distance, reaching Cambridge (USA) first before finally arriving at its destination. How was this possible? Let's delve into it.

Routing: Why did the packet travel through the USA?

The main reason for such a detour lies in the peculiarities of interaction between key network providers. In this case, the traffic passed through several autonomous systems (AS): AS57378 (ER-Telecom Holding, a local Russian operator), AS1299 (Arelion Sweden AB, a major international transit operator), and AS20940 (Akamai International B.V., a global content delivery network). Arelion, also known as Telia Carrier, is one of the world's largest transit operators. It provides connectivity between countries through its extensive infrastructure, which includes submarine cable landing points and peering agreements. However, despite its vast European network, there was no direct route from Russia to Singapore via Arelion. Instead, the packet was handed off to Akamai's network, which specializes in content delivery and traffic management. In this case, Akamai chose a route through the USA, possibly due to peering configurations or the lack of direct interconnections between European and Asian nodes. This routing choice highlights the importance of transit economics: operators often decide on traffic routing based on cost, availability, and connection quality. However, in this instance, such an approach resulted in the data traveling through the USA, adding thousands of extra kilometers to the journey.

Practical consequences for users

The delay recorded by GeoCables amounted to 331 milliseconds (RTT), which is nearly four times the theoretical minimum (~80 ms) for a direct route. What does this mean for users? - **Video calls:** A delay of over 300 ms significantly impacts communication quality. Simultaneous conversations become challenging, and pauses can disrupt the natural flow of dialogue. - **Online gaming:** For gamers, this is a catastrophic figure. In real-time games like shooters or strategy games, standard latency should be below 50 ms. A 331 ms delay makes it nearly impossible to respond to opponents' actions in time. - **Financial trading:** In high-frequency trading, where milliseconds are critical, such delays can lead to significant losses. Traders working with Asian exchanges would face inefficiencies when using routes with such RTTs. - **Cloud services:** Working with remote servers, such as editing documents or running applications, becomes slower. This is especially crucial for corporate users whose workflows depend on minimal latency.

Why does regional traffic "go astray"?

Geographical infrastructure plays a key role. Russia and Singapore are connected by several submarine cables, but their usage depends on agreements between operators. For example, direct routes through transit points in Asia (such as via Turkey or the Indian Ocean) could shorten the path, but they require coordinated peering agreements and route optimization. In this case, the choice of routing through the USA is linked to Akamai's network policies and node availability. Incorrect routing often arises due to the lack of direct interconnections between operators in different regions or due to configurations that prioritize stability and reliability over minimal latency.

Real-world events: earthquakes and floods

Amid infrastructure challenges, GeoCables also recorded several natural events near the route. For instance, in August 2026, two earthquakes occurred near Indonesia (with magnitudes of 6.9 and 5.6), 568 km and 642 km away from the route. Although these events could have disrupted cable operations in the region, GeoCables data indicates that the detour was caused by routing decisions rather than infrastructure damage. Additionally, floods in Georgia, Russia, and Ukraine, recorded during the summer and autumn of 2026, were located at significant distances (from 534 km to 633 km) from the route and did not directly affect traffic between Rostov and Singapore.

Conclusion

This case demonstrates the complexity of the global internet network, where the interplay of economic, technical, and infrastructural factors leads to unexpected routing. GeoCables continues to monitor such detours, uncovering the hidden mechanisms of the global internet and their impact on users. To improve the situation, additional peering agreements between providers and route optimization are needed to minimize delays and make internet connections more predictable and efficient.