On Monday, the Swedish authorities joined the ship in connection with what they described as “gross sabotage” after the underwater communication cable in the Baltic Sea was damaged a day. The ship was accompanied by the coast of Sweden for investigation, the authorities said.
“We suspect that a serious act of sabotage was committed in the Swedish economic zone yesterday,” Mats Ljungqvist, a Swedish prosecutor, said in an interview in an interview.
The authorities have not yet published the nature or extent of damage to the communication cable, which leads between Sweden and Latvia.
The incident is governed by other suspicious attempts to sabotage on cables under the Baltic Sea, which recently became the theater of the potential hybrid war between NATO and Russia.
Two weeks ago, the Atlantic Alliance launched a new patrol operation and supervision of the protection of critical infrastructure in the sea where Russia has the coast then Cable range were separately.
The NATO mission, called the Baltic Sentry, is intended to help protect underwater cables and the pipeline by strengthening the presence of the alliance in the region, said Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the Organization. This operation includes frigates, naval patrol aircraft, submarine satellites, remotely controlled vehicles and drones.
NATO from which Sweden is the latest memberHe said that the mission was to “improve the ability to protect the critical underwater infrastructure and react if necessary”.
The Alliance officials regularly stated that even though they suspect that Russia is for sabotage of cables and pipelines, it is extremely difficult to prove the real responsibility.
The Swedish Security Service stated that the preliminary investigation indicated that the incident on Sunday could be an effort to focus on Swedish interests. It is assumed that the seized ship “sabotage”, the security service said in Statement issued on Monday.
“Right now, the Swedish authorities are on the boat to take various investigative measures,” Johan Wikstrom, a spokesman for this service, said on Monday.
Mr. Ljungqvist, prosecutor, said the seized boat is called the car.
Navigation Maritime Bulgare, Bulgarian Transport Company It mentions the dehen In his fleet as a mass carrier with a Maltese flag Statement on its website On Monday, it refers to the “situation of force force force force that occurred due to unfavorable hydrometeorological conditions in the area”.
The company stated that it does not have “information about intentional measures of the crew” that could lead to cable damage and expressed support to the authorities in the investigation.
Mr. Wikstrom said the Coast Guard on Sunday accompanied the ship on the Swedish coast. It is now anchored outside Karlskron, the South Town, which is home to the largest Swedish naval base and also the headquarters of the Coast Guard.
Mr. Wikstrom refused to provide further details of the seized ship or how and where the authorities discovered the cable damage.
NATO ships and the plane responded to the reported damage and cooperated with their regional allies, the Alliance said on Monday -mail.
Said Prime Minister Evika Silina from Latvia Post social media The fact that Latvian, Swedish and NATO authorities cooperated on the incident investigation, guarded the area and controlled vessels. She added that the cable was damaged in the Swedish economic zone and that the authorities initiated a “criminal investigation”.
At the end of December, the Finnish authorities confiscated the oil tanker that suspected of cutting the underwater cables and accused the ship of being part of Russian “Shadow Fleet” who Western officials say they think Russia uses avoid sanctions. In response to NATO said increase security In the region and the European Union they threatened new sanctions against Moscow.
In November several European countries stopped and Commercial ship After interrupting two cables with optical fibers. The German Defense Minister described the separation of cables as the act of ‘sabotage’ focused on European countries that supported Ukraine while it Fighting for RussiaAlthough the US intelligence authorities said they were not intentionally interrupted.
In 2022 the explosions damaged parts Nord Stream pipelineStop Russian supplies of natural gas to Western Europe. American intelligence pointed to a Pro-ukrainian Groupthough a lot of remains murky about the incident.
The cable that was damaged on Sunday belonged to the Latvian State Radio and Television Center, according to Statement Sunday evening.
The statement noted that because the cable lies at a depth of more than 160 feet, the center will be able to determine the exact nature of the damage only after the start of repairs.
Steven Erlanger Messages from Berlin contributed.
