« The fact that such an incident immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage speaks volumes about the volatility of our times, » Germany and Finland said.
Two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were disrupted in quick succession, NATO officials and local telecommunications companies have said. It raises fears of sabotage from « malicious actors » in the region at a time when the alliance is at odds with Russia.
Unseen but crucial, undersea cables prop up internet services and communications, as well as many other aspects of daily life often taken for granted. 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.
A cable linking Finland and Germany was « severed », Helsinki and Berlin’s foreign ministers said in a joint statement on Monday, adding they were « deeply concerned. » Cinia, a Finnish state-controlled telecommunications company, said the cable was damaged close to the southern edge of the Swedish island of Öland, roughly 700 kilometers [435 miles] from Helsinki, at around 4 a.m. local time on Monday.
The cable, known as C-Lion1, stretches 1,173 kilometers [just under 730 miles] and links central Europe to Finland and other Nordic nations. It typically takes between five and 15 days to repair this type of cable, the company said, adding: « The details of the fault are yet not known and are currently being investigated.
