German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius suspects third-party intent in the case of the two damaged data cables in the Baltic Sea. It was clear that it was a hybrid operation, Pistorius said on Tuesday before talks with EU defense ministers in Brussels. “We must also assume that this is sabotage.”
In any case, he does not believe the cables were accidentally damaged by thrown anchors, Pistorius said. Rather, it is “a clear sign that something is going on here.” The minister admitted that there are no indications of sabotage yet, “but it does seem like it.”
Data cable interrupted
On Monday, a 1,200-kilometer data cable between the Finnish capital Helsinki and the northern German city of Rostock failed, Finnish state-run cybersecurity and telecommunications company Cinia said. A 218-kilometer-long internet connection between Lithuania and the Swedish island of Gotland was interrupted on Sunday, the Lithuanian company Telia Lietuva announced.
The foreign ministries in Berlin and Helsinki expressed their concerns on Monday evening. “This incident immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage,” they said in a joint statement. “Europe’s security is threatened not only by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, but also by hybrid warfare.” “Protecting our shared critical infrastructure is critical to our security and the resilience of our societies.”
The Lithuanian Navy increased surveillance of the waters
The Lithuanian navy said on Tuesday it had stepped up surveillance of its waters. An assessment will now be carried out together with allies, a spokesperson for the Lithuanian Armed Forces said. According to the cable’s owner, Arelion, the connection between Lithuania and Sweden is “completely interrupted”, but the cause is still unclear, a spokesperson said. According to the operator, the damage to the cable between Finland and Germany occurred near the southern tip of the Swedish island of Öland and could take five to 15 days to repair.
The incidents bring back memories of the acts of sabotage against the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia with Germany in the Baltic Sea. They were destroyed by explosions in 2022 and investigations are still ongoing.
Source: Krone
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