Baltic Sea data cable damaged in latest case of potential sabotage

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An underwater data cable between Sweden and Latvia was damaged early Sunday in at least the fourth episode of possible sabotage in the Baltic Sea in recent months, raising concerns in NATO about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure.

Latvian Prime Minister Ivica Silina said the cable between the Latvian coastal town of Ventspils and Farosund on the Swedish island of Gotland was damaged. significant and thus was probably caused by an external force.

A criminal investigation has been launched. Previous incidents have been linked to Russian and Chinese vessels.

Latvian authorities had sent a patrol boat to inspect a vessel near fiber optic cables to the Baltic nation’s state radio and television center when it was damaged, and were also monitoring two nearby vessels.

The Latvian Navy said the vessel was the Michalis Sun, a Maltese-flagged bulk carrier en route from Algeria to Russia, although it found no signs of suspicious activity on board, Latvian television reported.

Swedish Prime Minister Wolf Kristerson said that “at least one” data cable had been damaged and that he was in contact with Selina and cooperating closely with NATO.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her “full solidarity” with the Baltic countries, adding that “the resilience and security of our critical infrastructure is a top priority for the EU”.

NATO made the announcement last week Drones will be deployedSubmarines, ships and aircraft in the Baltic Sea help detect and prevent sabotage attempts against critical infrastructure in a mission known as Baltic Sentry after the previous three sets of cables were damaged in recent months.

Finnish authorities last month control a ship Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers — aging, poorly maintained ships registered in remote jurisdictions such as the Cook Islands and used to evade international sanctions — is under investigation as they launch a criminal investigation into the increasingly destructive nature of the incident.

NATO allies hailed Finland’s move to seize the vessel as exemplary, following two suspected sabotage incidents before suspected vessels left the Baltic Sea.

The first occurred in late 2023 when a Chinese container ship, The new polar bearA gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia cut its anchor but was not shut down.

The second involved one Chinese bulk carriersYi Peng 3, which passed over two data cables in the Baltic Sea in November when they broke apart.

It stopped for a month in international waters between Denmark and Sweden and was boarded by Chinese investigators. But the Swedish government criticized Beijing for not allowing the lead Swedish investigator to board or inspect the ship.

The latest incident comes as the three Baltic states prepare to disconnect their power systems from the former Soviet grid in early February and integrate themselves into the continental European grid, ahead of fears of further potential disruptions.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have joined the European Union and NATO since regaining their independence after their forced annexation by the Soviet Union, and see their switch to the European power system as their final integration with the West.

Kestutis Budris, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, said Navigation rules in the Baltic Sea need to be reviewed “especially when it comes to the use of anchors” and added there were now so many incidents that they were unlikely to be accidents.

Repairing data cables takes much less time than gas or electricity connections, and the Latvian State Radio and Television Center said it had found alternative routes for communications.