Suspicious Undersea Cable Sabotage Investigated in Baltic Sea
Recent events in the Baltic Sea have raised international concerns as Swedish and Finnish authorities investigate suspected sabotage of two critical undersea fibre-optic cables. The incidents disrupted vital communication links between Sweden, Lithuania, Finland, and Germany. The timeline and proximity of these disruptions have prompted speculation about deliberate interference.
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Central to the investigation is the Chinese-registered cargo ship Yi Peng 3 , which passed near the damaged cables during the suspected attacks. The Danish navy has been shadowing the vessel, fueling questions about its role in the incidents. Swedish police have identified the ship as “of interest,” though they have not confirmed its involvement. The Swedish navy is gathering evidence at the sites, deploying advanced underwater search technology.
According to ship tracking data, Yi Peng 3 , owned by Ningbo YiPeng Shipping, last docked at Ust-Luga, a Russian port near Estonia, on November 15. It traveled through the Kattegat Strait between Sweden and Denmark shortly after the cables were damaged. A Russian maritime pilot who navigated the vessel reported no irregularities, describing it as a standard cargo ship with a crew of Chinese nationals. Despite the absence of definitive proof, suspicions linger, especially given historical precedents of Chinese and Russian vessels being linked to similar incidents.
The broader geopolitical context adds complexity. Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson have expressed strong suspicions of sabotage, linking the events to hybrid warfare tactics. While Russia has denied involvement and dismissed accusations as baseless, European nations are taking the threats seriously, drawing comparisons to the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage in 2022.
Investigators are exploring multiple scenarios, including accidental damage from vessel anchors, a possibility some U.S. officials have suggested. However, European authorities remain focused on deliberate sabotage, emphasizing the alignment of ship movements with the cable breaks. As the investigation continues, the incidents highlight the vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure in contested maritime zones.
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