Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has voiced no surprise at the possibility of sabotage behind the severing of multiple undersea data cables in the Baltic Sea, Bloomberg reports.
Two high-speed fiber optic cables – one connecting Finland and Germany, the other linking Lithuania and Sweden – suffered damage earlier this week, prompting investigations into potential sabotage.
Finnish authorities reported that the Finland-Germany cable, a 750-mile Helsinki-Rostock link owned by Cinia Oy, was cut by what appears to be an external impact. All fiber connections are down, rendering the link completely unusable. A repair ship is expected to arrive next week to assess the damage. The damage to the Lithuania-Sweden cable was discovered on Sunday.
Swedish police are investigating both incidents as possible acts of sabotage. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius echoed these concerns, stating that the events must be investigated as such. Prime Minister Frederiksen added, according to news agency Ritzau, that if the damage is determined to be intentional and externally sourced, “it is obviously serious.”
All four nations affected – Finland, Germany, Lithuania, and Sweden – are members of NATO. The incidents bear a striking resemblance to an incident just over a year ago in the Gulf of Finland, where a passing ship’s anchor severed two data cables and a gas pipeline. NATO pledged to respond if that damage proved intentional.
Minister Pistorius alleged Russia as posing a hybrid and military threat to the European Union. Russia has denied any involvement in these recent incidents.
