Germany and Finland suspect “hybrid sabotage” of undersea infrastructure
The Baltic Sea has hosted numerous international naval operations including in this image where USS Roosevelt was participating in Baltic Eagle. (Photo: US Navy/Petty Officer 2nd Class Elexia Morelos)
Without naming a culprit, the defence ministers of both nations expressed concern about “deliberate” severing of undersea internet cables.
Germany defence minister Boris Pistorius has said the severing of two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea looked like an act of sabotage and a “hybrid action.”
Two undersea fibre-optic communications cables were severed, one of which linked Finland and Germany over 730 miles. The other was an internet link between Lithuania and Sweden. The cables were severed on two separate days, one on the 17 November and one on the 18 November.
A joint statement from both countries’ defence ministers was carefully worded to avoid directly apportioning blame for the as-yet-unclaimed incident, but delivered strong suggestions in its allusions:
“A thorough investigation is
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