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An underwater data cable between Sweden and Latvia was damaged early Sunday morning. This is at least the fourth possible sabotage episode in the Baltic Sea in recent months, raising concerns within NATO about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said there was damage to the cable between the Latvian coastal town of Ventspils and Fårösund on the Swedish island of Gotland significant and was therefore probably caused by an external force. A criminal investigation has been launched. Previous incidents have been linked to Russian and Chinese ships.
Latvian authorities sent a patrol boat to inspect a ship that was near the fiber optic cable of the Baltic country’s state radio and television center at the time of damage, and also monitored two other ships nearby.
Ulf Kristersson, Sweden’s prime minister, said that “at least one” data cable was damaged and that he had been in contact with Siliņa and was working closely with NATO.
NATO announced it last week would use dronesSubmarines, ships and aircraft in the Baltic Sea to detect and prevent sabotage attempts against critical infrastructure in a mission called Baltic Sentry after three previous sets of cables were damaged in recent months.
Finnish authorities took control of a ship They are among Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers – aging, poorly maintained vessels registered in remote jurisdictions like the Cook Islands that have been used to evade international sanctions – and have launched a criminal investigation into serious sabotage related to the incident.
Elina Valtonen, Finland’s foreign minister, told the Financial Times in a recent interview that the chance that all three ships accidentally damaged underwater infrastructure was “close to zero,” but declined to point the finger at Russia.
NATO allies have praised Finland’s actions in seizing the ship as exemplary, following two previous potential sabotage incidents in which the suspicious vessels left the Baltic Sea. The first occurred in late 2023, when a Chinese container ship New new polar bearcut a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia with his anchor, but was not stopped.
The second was a Chinese bulk carrierthe Yi Peng 3, which was crossing two data cables in the Baltic Sea in November when they were interrupted. It remained moored in international waters between Denmark and Sweden for a month and Chinese investigators boarded it. But the Swedish government criticized Beijing for not allowing the lead Swedish investigator to board or inspect the ship.
The latest incident came as the three Baltic states prepared to disconnect their power systems from the former Soviet grid in early February and integrate with the continental European grid, with some fearing further possible disruptions ahead.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have joined the EU and NATO since regaining their independence following forced annexation by the Soviet Union and see the transition to the European electricity system as their final integration with the West.
Kęstutis Budrys, Lithuanian Foreign Minister, said Shipping rules in the Baltic Sea need to be reviewed, “particularly when it comes to the use of anchors”, adding that there are now so many incidents that the likelihood that they could all be accidents is low.
Repairing data cables typically took much less time than repairing gas or electricity connections, and Latvia’s State Radio and Television Center said it had found alternative ways for its communications.