Tue Nov 19 17:26:44 UTC 2024: ## Suspected Sabotage: Multiple Baltic Sea Undersea Cables Severed
**Stockholm/Brussels, November 19, 2024** – Investigations are underway in Sweden, Finland, and Germany following the discovery of severed undersea telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea. This follows Monday’s announcement that a cable linking Finland and Germany had been cut, prompting a joint probe by both countries. The incident is raising concerns about potential sabotage and hybrid warfare.
Today, Swedish Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin confirmed that Sweden is investigating damage to the Arelion cable connecting the Swedish island of Gotland to Lithuania. The damage, discovered Sunday morning, has caused an internet traffic disruption, though service hasn’t been affected for customers, according to Telia, the Lithuanian branch of the operator. The disruption, Telia confirmed, stemmed from physical damage to the cable, not a technical malfunction.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, speaking at an EU ministerial meeting in Brussels, stated that the severing of both the Finland-Germany and Sweden-Lithuania cables is a clear sign of malicious activity. He described the incidents as “a hybrid action” and suggested “sabotage” was a likely explanation, although no perpetrator has yet been identified. Both Germany and Finland have explicitly stated their belief that the damage was not accidental. The incidents come amid heightened tensions with Russia in the region.
First Piper 