Telecoms cable in Baltic Sea may have been severed, says Finnish owner
Guardian1 day
Sabotage Fears After Two Undersea Cables Severed in Baltic Sea
Above: Workers repair undersea fiber-optic cables in 2023 Image copyright: Stephen Sauer/Picture Alliance/Contributor via Getty Images
The Facts
Communication across two fiber optic cables running across the Baltic Sea was disrupted this past week, sparking fears they were intentionally severed by acts of sabotage.
The first cable to go down — a 135-mile (218 km) internet link between Lithuania and the Swedish island of Gotland — went offline at roughly 0800 GMT on Sunday, according to a Lithuanian subsidiary of Sweden's Telia Company.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Reports from last year showed the presence of Russian spy ships in Nordic waters, the US has noted increased Russian activity by undersea cables in recent weeks, while only days ago a Russian vessel had to be removed from Irish waters. With tension between Russia and Europe at a historic high, it does not take much to assume this was Putin's doing.
Pro-Russia narrative
The news of these incidents comes only days after Russia warned the US and the UK were considering infrastructure attacks similar to what was seen previously with Nord Stream 1 and 2. Luckily, it has been announced that the cables will be repaired in a matter of weeks.