The damage to two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea appears to look like an act of sabotage and a “hybrid action,” according to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. Still no clues as to who is to blame, but the investigation continues.
The 730-mile (1,170km) telecomms cable that runs between Finland and Germany was severed and a 218km internet link between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island subsequently stopped working.
The incidents come at a time of heightened tension with Russia and Defense Minister Pistorius said “nobody believes that these cables were cut accidentally.”
The Swedish and Lithuanian defense ministers have also stated they were “deeply concerned” that the cable connecting their two countries had been cut.
Finland opened a police probe and the Swedish Prosecution Authority said it had opened an investigation into “sabotage.”
“Our European security is not only under threat from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, but also from hybrid warfare by malicious actors,” said in a joint statement by Germany and Finland.
“The preliminary investigation is ongoing and at an early stage,” said prosecutor Henrik Soderman in a statement. “There is no further information to share about the investigation at this time.”