Germany suspects disruption following damage to undersea cables
Date
11/20/2024 7:27:17 AM
(MENAFN) German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius expressed concerns on Tuesday that the damage to two internet cables in the Baltic Sea, which connect NATO countries, may have been a deliberate act of sabotage. The cables were severed over the weekend, with incidents involving similar cable disruptions having occurred in the region over the past year. Pistorius noted that it was unlikely these breaks were accidental and suggested the possibility of a hybrid attack, though the perpetrators remain unidentified. He added that the situation indicated a deliberate and coordinated effort to target critical infrastructure.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, along with Finnish Minister Elina Valtonen, highlighted that the immediate suspicion of intentional damage underscores the current global instability. One of the affected cables, Cinia's C-Lion1, which links Finland and Germany, was severed in Swedish waters, and initial reports suggest anchor damage, though the exact cause is still unclear. This cable is located near the damaged Nord Stream pipelines, which were destroyed by explosions in September 2022, with some Western sources speculating Ukrainian involvement, while Russian officials point to the US.
Another cable, the BCS East-West-Interlink, connecting Lithuania to Sweden, was also damaged over the weekend, with no clear cause yet identified. Russian official Nikolay Patrushev had previously alleged that the US and UK were considering attacks on undersea infrastructure, including fiber-optic cables, adding further tension to the situation.
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