Germany has expressed serious concerns that the recent damage to two undersea fibre-optic communication cables in the Baltic Sea may be the result of sabotage, as tensions rise over the security of Europe’s critical infrastructure. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius voiced skepticism about accidental damage, stating in Brussels on Tuesday, “No one believes that the cables were accidentally damaged. I also don’t want to believe that the ships’ anchors caused the damage by accident. We have to assume, without certain information, that the damage is caused by sabotage.”
The incidents, which occurred on Sunday and Monday, involved separate cables linking Finland and Germany, and Sweden and Lithuania. The first disruption, reported by the telecoms company Telia Lietuva, affected a 135-mile communication link between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland island on Sunday morning. This was followed hours later by damage to a 746-mile cable between Helsinki and Rostock, Germany, according to Finnish cybersecurity firm Cinia.
The Baltic Sea region has witnessed other suspected attacks on infrastructure in recent years, most notably the 2022 explosions along the Nord Stream gas pipelines. This history has fueled suspicions that the cable damage may be part of broader efforts to destabilize European infrastructure.
In a joint statement released Monday, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed “deep concern” and pledged a “thorough investigation.” They pointed to potential hybrid warfare threats, noting, “Our European security is not only under threat from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, but also from hybrid warfare by malicious actors. Safeguarding our shared critical infrastructure is vital to our security and the resilience of our societies.”
Swedish authorities have also launched an investigation, with Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin confirming that the government is closely monitoring developments. “We can confirm that the relevant Swedish authorities are investigating the events,” Bohlin told Swedish broadcaster SVT. He emphasized the gravity of the incidents, stating that it is crucial to determine the cause of the disruptions.
The Lithuanian navy announced plans to increase surveillance in the affected regions of the Baltic, underscoring heightened regional security concerns. Meanwhile, Sweden’s recent decision to veto 13 offshore windfarms in the Baltic over perceived security risks has brought further attention to the vulnerability of critical maritime infrastructure.
NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (Marcom) had previously warned about the dangers of hybrid warfare targeting underwater infrastructure. In April, Vice Admiral Didier Maleterre, Marcom’s deputy commander, noted, “We know the Russians have developed a lot of hybrid warfare under the sea to disrupt the European economy through cables, internet cables, pipelines. All of our economy under the sea is under threat.”
