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An underwater data cable between Sweden and Latvia was damaged early Sunday morning, in at least the fourth episode of potential sabotage in the Baltic Sea in recent months that has NATO concerned about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure.
Latvian Prime Minister Ivica Selina said damage to the cable between the coastal cities of Ventspils in Latvia and Forsund on the Swedish island of Gotland was… prominent Thus it may have been caused by an external force.
The criminal investigation has begun. Previous incidents have been linked to Russian and Chinese ships.
Latvian authorities sent a patrol boat to inspect a ship that was close to the Baltic country's state radio and television center's fiber optic cable when it was damaged, and were also monitoring two other ships nearby.
Ulf Kristersson, the Prime Minister of Sweden, said that at least one data cable had been damaged, that he had been in contact with Selina, and was cooperating closely with NATO.
NATO announced this last week It will deploy dronesSubmarines, ships and aircraft are in the Baltic Sea to help detect and prevent sabotage attempts against critical infrastructure in a mission known as Baltic Sentry after three previous sets of cables were damaged in recent months.
Finnish authorities Control the ship Russia's shadow fleet of tankers – old, poorly maintained vessels registered in remote jurisdictions such as the Cook Islands used to circumvent international sanctions – has launched a criminal investigation into aggravated sabotage over the incident.
Elina Valtonen, Finland's foreign minister, told the Financial Times in a recent interview that there was a “close to zero” chance that the three ships could have destroyed underwater infrastructure by accident, but she refused to point the finger at Russia.
NATO allies praised Finland's actions in seizing the ship as exemplary, following two previous incidents of possible sabotage in which suspected vessels left the Baltic Sea. The first occurred in late 2023 when a Chinese container ship… New polar bearThe gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was cut off by its anchor, but was not stopped.
The second was attended by A Chinese bulk carriersYi Peng 3, which in November passed through two data cables in the Baltic Sea at the time they were cut. It stopped for a month in international waters between Denmark and Sweden, and Chinese investigators boarded it. But the Swedish government criticize 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 electrical systems from the former Soviet grid in early February and integrate themselves into the continental European grid, with some fearing potential further disruption before then.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have joined the European Union and NATO since regaining their independence after forced annexation by the Soviet Union, and see their transition to the European electricity system as their final integration into the West.
Kestutis Podris, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania He said Navigation rules in the Baltic Sea need to be reviewed “especially when it comes to the use of anchorages,” she said, adding that there were now so many accidents that there was little chance that they were all accidents.
Repairing data cables takes much less time than repairing gas or electricity connections, and the Latvian State Radio and Television Center said it had found alternative methods for its communications.
