Swedish authorities are investigating a suspected sabotage of an undersea telecoms cable in the Baltic Sea, as the country’s coast guard dispatches a vessel to the affected area—one of several recent cases of seabed infrastructure damage.
With the Baltic region on high alert, NATO has increased its presence following a series of disruptions to power cables, telecom networks, and gas pipelines since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Many incidents have been traced to civilian ships dragging anchors, but some remain under investigation.
On Friday, Finnish telecom provider Cinia reported minor damage to its C-Lion1 fibre-optic cable linking Finland and Germany, though the functionality remained unaffected. Swedish police launched an inquiry, as the breach occurred within Sweden’s economic zone.
"The preliminary investigation concerns suspected sabotage," said police spokesperson Mathias Rutegard, adding that authorities are working to determine whether the damage is new or pre-existing. No suspects have been identified.
While some Baltic Sea infrastructure failures have been deemed accidental—such as last month’s severed telecoms cable in Swedish waters—others remain under scrutiny, with no prosecutions to date.
In response to the ongoing disruptions, the European Commission announced plans to enhance monitoring of undersea cables and create a fleet of vessels capable of conducting emergency repairs. The initiative will cover all of Europe but will feature a Baltic Sea hub to detect potential threats before they materialize, Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen stated in Helsinki.
This marks the third instance in recent months of damage to Cinia’s C-Lion1 cable, which was completely severed twice last year, in November and December. The company restored full functionality by early January after the most recent breach.
Sweden’s coast guard has deployed a vessel to investigate the latest incident near Gotland, while the nation’s prosecution authority confirmed it is not currently involved.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson acknowledged the government was being briefed, emphasizing that any harm to undersea infrastructure is particularly concerning given the heightened security climate.