Sweden investigating damaged cable in Baltic Sea

Stockholm, Feb 21 (AP) Swedish authorities said on Friday they were investigating a damaged cable that was discovered in the Baltic Sea, the latest in a string of recent incidents of ruptured undersea cables that have heightened fears of Russian sabotage and spying in the region.

The breakage was found on a cable that runs between Germany and Finland off the island of Gotland, south of Stockholm, in the Swedish economic zone, the news agency TT reported Friday. The Coast Guard was responding to the site.

A “preliminary investigation into sabotage was opened”, Swedish police said in a statement, adding they had "no further information to share at this time”.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on the social media platform X that the government takes all reports of damage to infrastructure in the Baltic Sea very seriously.

Late last month, authorities discovered damage to the undersea fibre-optic cable running between the Latvian city of Ventspils and Sweden's Gotland. A vessel belonging to a Bulgarian shipping company was seized but later released after Swedish prosecutors ruled out initial suspicions that sabotage caused the damage.

The European Commission, the 27-member EU executive branch, presented key measures on Friday for better protection of underwater cables in its region, including stepping up security requirements and risk assessments while prioritising funding for new and smart cables.

It said threat-monitoring capabilities will be enhanced in the Mediterranean and the Baltic seas for a quicker and more effective response and repair capabilities.

Sanctions and diplomatic measures will also be taken “against hostile actors", the Commission document said. These actions are to be rolled out progressively in 2025 and 2026 to strengthen measures taken by NATO and EU members.

The Commission said the undersea communication cables connect EU member states “to one another, link islands to the EU mainland, and connect the EU to the rest of the world,” carrying 99 per cent of inter-continental internet traffic.

The underwater electricity cables facilitate the integration of EU members' power supply and strengthen their security, it said, adding that incidents in recent months “have risked causing severe disruptions in essential functions and services in the EU, impacting the daily lives of EU citizens”. (AP) PY PY

Source: PTI