What's New
Several undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were disrupted on Wednesday, according to local companies and officials, with a Russian "shadow fleet" vessel reportedly under investigation for the incidents on Christmas Day.
Newsweek has compiled a map highlighting the latest incident of cable disruption in the Baltic Sea, where NATO has a strong footprint and Russia a key strategic interest.
Why It Matters
This is the latest incident of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea being disconnected, or deemed to have been deliberately sabotaged.
Unseen but crucial, undersea cables prop up internet services and communications, as well as many other aspects of daily life often taken for granted. According to NATO, around 99 percent of the world's data runs through undersea cables, but they are vulnerable to attack, in what is known as hybrid warfare.
What To Know
Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, said on Wednesday that the Estlink 2 electricity transmission cable, reaching from Finland to Estonia, had been "disconnected."
Fingrid, which operates the cable, said it had come offline at 12:26 p.m. local time and investigations were underway. Orpo said it would not impact the electricity flow to Finland.
Elering, Estonia's electricity and natural gas transmission system operator, said on Thursday that the fault, while still unidentified, was on the Finnish side of the cable.
In a separate statement, Finnish telecommunications firm Elisa said two submarine cables between Finland and Estonia were experiencing faults on Wednesday evening.
The Financial Times reported on Thursday that authorities in Finland were investigating whether the Eagle S, a Russian oil tanker which forms part of the country's "shadow fleet" designed to circumvent oil sanctions, was involved in the disruption of the Estlink 2 and other cables in the Gulf of Finland.
The vessel was stopped by Finnish officials after passing close to the Estlink 2 cable at the time it was disconnected, the newspaper reported.
The numerous incidents impacting undersea cables in the region have brought to life deep concerns over sabotage, and whether Russia may have been involved.
NATO has been ringing alarm bells in recent years over Russia's skill with hybrid warfare. In May, it held a meeting dedicated to strategizing how to protect the alliance's critical undersea infrastructure.
In November, two undersea cables in the Baltic were disrupted in quick succession. The C-Lion 1 data cable stretching between Finland and Germany, and the BCS East-West Interlink connecting the Swedish island of Gotland to Lithuania were cut within 24 hours of one another.
A Chinese ship, the Yi Peng 3, was tied to the incidents. Sweden on Monday accused Beijing authorities of denying a request from Swedish investigators to come aboard the vessel. It had stayed in international waters close to Denmark and Sweden for several weeks after the cables were damaged.
In November, shortly after the two undersea data cables were cut in the Baltic, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that "no one believes that these cables were cut accidentally."
Mystery still surrounds the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines linking Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea in fall 2022, while an undersea cable linking Sweden to Estonia was damaged in October 2023. A gas pipeline connecting Estonia to Finland was also damaged in the same month, later blamed on a Chinese ship dragging its anchor.
The Baltic Sea is sometimes referred to as a "NATO lake," as it is bracketed mostly by countries belonging to the alliance. Russia has a significant military presence in its Kaliningrad exclave, which sits sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea.
What People Are Saying
Fingrid, Finland's state-owned electricity transmission provider: "The direct current connection EstLink 2 between Finland and Estonia was disconnected from the grid on December 25, 2024 at 12:26 p.m. At the time of disconnection, the power transmission of the connection was 650 MW from Finland to Estonia. An investigation into the incident has been initiated."
The provider said in a later statement that the cause of the disruption was not yet clear, adding: "In Finland, the usage situation of the electricity system and the adequacy of electricity are good despite the failure of the cross-border connection."
Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo: "The Estlink 2 electricity transmission connection between Finland and Estonia has been disconnected this afternoon. Authorities are still on standby over Christmas and are investigating the matter. The interruption of the transmission connection will not affect the electricity supply of Finns."
English (US) ·