In a suspected act of sabotage by Russia, two undersea cables enabling internet traffic were cut between Germany and Finland on Monday. In the weeks prior, the United States had warned about potential foul play of this kind, referring to Russia’s capabilities for ‘undersea sabotage.
European officials started being suspicious quickly. German and Finnish foreign ministers said in a statement that an incident like this “Immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage speaks volumes about the volatility of our times.”
They also disclosed that an investigation was being held regarding the potential sabotage.
Although Europe is suspicious, two US officials told CNN that the damage done to the cables was unintentional, that an anchor being dragged along by a vessel could have severed the cable.
At a meeting in Brussels, German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorious said that a consensus was shared among leaders, that it is difficult to believe that the cables being cut was not malicious.
“No one believes that these cables were cut accidentally. I also don’t want to believe in versions that these were anchors that accidentally caused damage over these cables,” he said. “Therefore we have to state, without knowing specifically who it came from, that it is a ‘hybrid’ action. And we also have to assume, without knowing it yet, that it is sabotage,” Pistorious said.
The other cable, connecting Lithuania and Sweden, was cut the day before, with Swedish authorities releasing a statement of their own saying that the incident was under investigation.
“The offense is currently being investigated as sabotage. The preliminary investigation is ongoing and at an early stage. There is no further information to share about the investigation at this time,” Henrik Soderman, a prosecutor, said.
A certain ship in particular has been the target of suspicion from officials and civilians alike. Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3. Through a vessel tracking website, the ship was shown to have traveled over each cable at the time they were reported to be severed.
Prior to the incidents, the Chinese carrier ship had left a Russian port after remaining there for multiple days.
Danish authorities did not reveal whether they pursued the vessel or not, and US authorities have not yet found a connection between the ship and any state that could make them conduct such sabotage.
The ship is currently sitting idle in Kattegat, the strait between Denmark and the tip of Sweden. A Danish navy patrol ship sits nearby. “The Danish Defense can confirm that we are present in the area near the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3,” they said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. They did not disclose the reasons for the actions, and did not mention the cable, but a public comment like this by the Danish Military is rare.
With an investigation being launched, this story is incomplete, and more information could be revealed in time.
