Over the weekend, underwater cables between Germany and Finland as well as Sweden and Lithuania have been cut off. There are "clear signs" of what has happened, says Germany's Defense Minister in connection with a ministerial meeting in the EU.
No one believes that these cables were cut off by accident.
I do not believe in the scenario that an anchor happened to damage the cables.
"Accidents"
The Swedish company that owns the cable between Sweden and Lithuania that was damaged confirms in an email to TT that the damage was discovered on Sunday.
"We do not currently know what caused the damage as we have not been able to investigate the cable yet. The cable will be repaired in the coming weeks, depending on the weather conditions," the company writes further.
The company is in contact with Swedish authorities and the Defense Forces due to the incident.
According to the company, "cable breaks both on land and at sea happen from time to time, mostly due to accidents."
"Sabotage"
Germany's Defense Minister gives the following picture of the whole thing:
We must establish, without knowing who is behind it, that this was a "hybrid action". We must assume, without having certain knowledge, that it is a matter of sabotage, says Boris Pistorius.
The cables on the seabed in question handle internet traffic and other communication. Several countries, including Sweden, have initiated investigations. But the repair ship that the Finnish owner has sent for repair of one of the cables is departing from the French port of Calais, which means it will take a while before it arrives.
