Sweden investigating new Baltic Sea cable damage
Swedish authorities said Friday they were investigating suspected damage to an underwater cable in the Baltic Sea, following a string of incidents experts believe are acts of sabotage orchestrated by Russia.
Finnish operator Cinia said it had recorded "some disturbance" on its C-Lion 1 communications cable linking Finland and Germany.
"However, the disturbance does not affect the functionality of telecommunications connections running in the cable and the data traffic continues flowing normally," it said in a statement, adding that the cause was "still under investigation".
The same cable had previously been cut in November last year with suspicions falling on a Chinese ship.
A string of incidents involving damage to cables and other infrastructure in the Baltic Sea have occurred in recent months, amid soaring tensions between the West and Russia over Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Swedish police spokesman Mathias Rutegard told AFP an investigation into suspected "sabotage" had been opened following the latest incident, which occurred east of the Swedish island of Gotland.
"We have opened a preliminary investigation into a suspected broken cable in the Baltic Sea and within the Swedish economic zone," Rutegard said.
Police later said in a statement that they had "no suspect" at this stage.
- 'Serious security situation' -
A spokeswoman for the Swedish coast guard, Karin Cars, told AFP they had sent a ship to the site east of Sweden's island of Gotland and were "assisting with the crime scene investigation".
Cars said she did not have information about when the damage occurred, but said the coast guard had started heading towards the site the night before.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a post to X that the government was monitoring the situation.
"We take all reports of possible damage to infrastructure in the Baltic Sea very seriously. As I have said before, they must be seen in the context of the serious security situation," Kristersson said.
The European Commission said Friday it would step up security requirements for underwater cables and prioritise financing for the deployment of new and smart cables.
It also said the EU would increase the capacity for the swift repair of damaged cables and would enforce sanctions against "hostile actors" and the "shadow fleet".
Security analysts say Russia is operating a "shadow fleet" of hundreds of vessels, aiming to dodge Western sanctions -- some of which are accused of damaging cables.
- Mounting tensions -
Western officials have accused Russian vessels of sabotaging undersea communications and power cables in several high-profile incidents in the Baltic Sea in recent months.
European leaders and experts suspect acts of "hybrid warfare" against Western countries supporting Ukraine, and are calling for increased maritime security.
Tensions have mounted around the Baltic Sea since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
A series of underwater blasts ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines that carried Russian gas to Europe in September 2022, the cause of which has yet to be determined.
In October 2023, an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down after it was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese cargo ship.
Two telecom cables, including the C-Lion 1, were severed in Swedish waters on November 17-18 last year.
And weeks later, on December 25, the Estlink 2 electricity cable and four telecom cables linking Finland and Estonia were damaged.
In January, NATO announced the launch of a Baltic Sea patrol mission, Baltic Sentry, to secure critical underwater infrastructure.
Earlier this week, UN experts told AFP that fishing trawlers were responsible for far more damage to underwater cables than nefarious activities.
According to the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), there are an average of 150 to 200 outages per year worldwide, or around three incidents a week.
Tomas Lamanauskas, the deputy head of the United Nations' International Telecommunications Union (ITU), told AFP that fishing and anchoring is responsible for 80 percent of all recorded damage.
jll/po/cw
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
8 minutes ago
- Newsweek
China Reacts to Israel's Attack on Iran
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. China said it is "deeply worried" by Israel's strikes on Iran and said it is willing to play a role in de-escalating the situation. Israel hit Iranian military and nuclear sites and killed a number of senior officials, including the commander-in-chief of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami. It said the operation is ongoing and could last days. Israel said the strikes were pre-emptive and to prevent a planned Iranian attack, and also to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb. "China is highly concerned about Israel's attacks on Iran and deeply worried about the potential serious consequences of these actions," said Lin Jian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, state media reported. Lin said China "opposes any violation of Iran's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and opposes actions that escalate tensions and expand the conflict." "The renewed sharp escalation of the regional situation is not in the interest of any party," he continued. "China urges all relevant parties to do more to promote regional peace and stability and to avoid further escalation of tensions. China is willing to play a constructive role in helping to de-escalate the situation." This is a developing article. Updates to follow.
Hamilton Spectator
10 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Hong Kong rights group shuts down after years of advocating for workers
HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong group that advocated for workers rights for decades announced its shutdown abruptly on Thursday, citing financial difficulties and debt issues. China Labor Bulletin planned to stop updating its website content and appeared to have deleted Facebook and Instagram social media accounts used by the nonprofit rights organization. 'The company can no longer maintain operations and has decided to dissolve and initiate the relevant procedures,' it said in a statement on an archived web page Friday. Founded in 1994, organization maintained a database tracking workers' strikes, protests, workplace accidents and other labor rights incidents in China . As dozens of civil society groups disbanded or left Hong Kong in the wake of the 2020 Beijing-imposed national security law , China Labor Bulletin continued providing valuable resources for journalists and academics in the southern Chinese city. Critics say the drastic political changes in Hong Kong indicated the decline of Western-style civil liberties that China promised to keep intact when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. However, Beijing and Hong Kong governments insisted the law was crucial to bring stability to the city following massive anti-government protests in 2019. China Labor Bulletin's founder Han Dongfang, a former railway worker who participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. He told the Central News Agency of Taiwan that the shutdown was his decision and he would stay in Hong Kong. Han's decision appeared sudden to many Hong Kong civil society observers. Three weeks ago, he wrote on social media platform LinkedIn about his work anniversary and his team's progress. 'Let's keep our faith up at this abnormal time and continue our important work,' he said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Newsweek
18 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Why Israel Alone Can't Stop Iran Getting Nuclear Weapons Without US
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Israel's "Operation Rising Lion" has delivered the heaviest blow yet to Iran's nuclear ambitions, with air strikes killing the Islamic Republic's top military command and nuclear scientists as well as hitting its main uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. But completely halting Iran's nuclear program is likely beyond the means of the region's only nuclear weapons power without the open support of its U.S. ally — and possibly even with it, security experts believe. "Israel by itself cannot completely halt the program. Only toppling the regime can do that. Anything less achieves at most a delay for X number of years. X being dependent on the level of success of the strikes," Eado Hecht, of the BESA Center for Security Studies in Israel, told Newsweek. "That is the best we can hope for in the current situation: if Iran provokes the USA into attacking it or the weakening of the regime sets off a revolution. Otherwise in X years time we will have to do it again," he said. An Israeli Air Force fighter jet releases flares over the Gaza Strip, is seen from southern Israel, Thursday, May 8, 2025. An Israeli Air Force fighter jet releases flares over the Gaza Strip, is seen from southern Israel, Thursday, May 8, 2025. Ariel Schalit/AP Photo How Will Iran Retaliate? Iran vowed swift retaliation for attacks that eliminated its top military leadership and several key nuclear scientists as well as hitting Natanz. It sent an initial wave of drones that is unlikely to be the end of its reprisals. "Without joint force projection, the outcome may be less than the full dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program" Burcu Ozcelik of the Royal United Services Institute Iran has also emphasized that any attack will only make it more determined to push ahead with its nuclear program. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that after the elimination of its officers and scientists "their successors and colleagues will carry on with their duties without delay". Iran's nuclear program — which it says has only civilian intent despite the accusations of the United States and Western countries — is distributed across a country a sixth the size of the United States. It is also heavily fortified behind layers of rock and concrete. At Natanz, advanced centrifuge cascades are housed deep inside underground caverns in a site that was originally built in secret in 2002 to one day house up to 50,000 centrifuges. Natanz Nuclear Complex Damaged The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) confirmed Friday that damage had been done to the Natanz nuclear facility, according to Mehr News Agency. "US military support to Israel, if that materializes, will strengthen the impact of any operation to destroy Iran's nuclear program. Israeli officials have in the past said they are prepared to go it alone — but without joint force projection, the outcome may be less than the full dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program," Burcu Ozcelik, Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Security at the Royal United Services Institute think tank (RUSI), told Newsweek. While the United States distanced itself from the Israeli strikes, they were substantially carried out with American equipment. Trump had been aware that an attack was pending, according to Fox commentator Brett Baier. In fact, he had flagged the danger to Iran in recent days as he has said he would prefer diplomacy. On Friday, Trump posted "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left" on Truth Social. Should the United States get involved in a further escalation with Iran, it has build up a heavy array of airpower at the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. It has aircraft carriers in the region on standby. Israel's Unilateral Strikes But while Israel might need U.S. power to comprehensively destroy Iran's nuclear program, it has a record of successful unilateral attacks against nuclear installations in the past: hitting Iraq's Osirak reactor in 1981 and Syria's nuclear reactor program in 2007. The substantial changes in both countries since that time have put them both out of contention as potential nuclear weapons powers. "Stopping is not the right word. We delay until the Messiah comes." Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security Israel is presumed to have nuclear weapons itself but has a policy of never confirm or denying this. Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, disagrees that Israeli cannot destroy Iran's nuclear program, noting the way it had killed Iranian-backed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a bunker deep under Beirut and that had it appeared to have damaged hardened installations this time around. But destroying the program was the wrong way to look at it given that the Iranians had always said they would restart it anyway, he said. "This is Western thinking to solve problems," the former Israeli paratrooper told Newsweek. "You know, you mow the grass, you debilitate capabilities and gain time. This is the Israeli strategy for everything... We delayed it for 15 years, more than 15 years again, stopping is not the right word. We delay until the Messiah comes."
