Western countries have suspected for a long time that Russia intentionally cut the important submarine cables, but without much evidence.
This could have changed after Finnish officials reported unusually surprising evidence related to a shipment related to Russia.
Finnish officials on Sunday said they found miles and miles of tracks on the bed of the Baltic Sea that indicate a Russia-linked tanker could be responsible for slicing a cluster of valuable data and power cables.
Sami Paila, lead detective inspector for Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, said “drag marks” had been discovered from the anchor of an old oil tanker under the Baltic Sea, near the cables, Reuters reported.
“The track measures dozens of kilometers,” Paila.
Germany’s foreign minister on Friday cited the incident as a “wake-up call,” saying it would be naive to consider it an accident.
The minister, Annalena Baerbock, led by the EU’s new sanctions on the so-called “shadow fleet” of ships connected to Russia.
Finnish officials approached the Eagle S after the Estlink 2 submarine cable was broken on Wednesday, which transported electricity and four other cables that transported data.
Estlink 2 is one of two cables carrying electricity between Finland and Estonia. Officials have said it might not be functional again until August, Reuters reported.
Finnish telecommunications company Cinia said the damage caused disruptions to web communications between Rostock, Germany and Helsinki and may take weeks to repair.
This is the latest in a series of incidents in the Baltic region.
The Eagle S, registered in the Cook Islands, was carrying 35,000 tonnes of unleaded gasoline loaded in Russian ports. He went to Egypt when the Finnish Coast Guard arrested him.
Finnish officials say it’s likely part of a “shadow fleet,” a network of vessels registered through complex ownership deals that carry fuel in an effort to circumvent international sanctions on Russia’s oil trade.
This is the first time the fleet has been accused of being involved in undersea cable sabotage.
“The suspected shipment is a component of Russia’s ghost fleet, which threatens security and the environment, while also inverting Russia’s war budget,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s most sensible foreign affairs official.
“We will propose additional measures, sanctions, to target this fleet,” Kallas posted in X.
Russia has long denied any involvement in the damage to undersea cables in the Baltic. The Russian Embassy in the United Kingdom responded to a request for comment from Business Insider.
The internet cables between Germany and Finland and Sweden and Estonia were in November. A Chinese shipment has been detected nearby when the injuries occurred.
Estonia said on Friday it would step up efforts to protect the Esthink 1 cable in condition.
“We must send our military near Estlink 1 to protect and secure our power link with Finland,” said Hanno Pevkur, Estonian Defense Minister.
Jump to