Suspected Sabotage: Undersea Cables Severed in the Baltic Sea

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has described the severing of two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea as potential acts of sabotage or “hybrid action,” amid heightened tensions with Russia. A 1,170km telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Germany was severed on Monday, and a 218km internet link between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island failed on Sunday. Authorities from Germany, Finland, and Sweden have expressed concerns, noting that such incidents are unlikely to occur accidentally, with Finnish telecom firm Cinia suggesting “an outside force” was involved.

The cables, vital for telecommunications and internet connectivity, intersect in the Baltic Sea, but the damages are believed to have occurred in separate locations. The Finnish cable’s damage, near Sweden’s Oland Island, may take up to 15 days to repair, while Arelion, the operator of the Lithuanian link, estimates a two-week repair period. While some disruptions to internet capacity were reported, alternative routes have mitigated major impacts. Experts, however, remain cautious about ruling out accidental causes, such as fishing vessels or ships, even as the timing raises suspicions.

These incidents follow a series of suspected sabotage events in the Baltic, including the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion in 2022 and the October 2023 damage to a natural gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. Pistorius and other European leaders have linked the threats to broader security risks stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, emphasizing the need for vigilance against hybrid warfare by malicious actors. Investigations into the cable damage are ongoing.

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