Swedish prosecutors announced on Sunday (January 26) evening that they have ordered the detention of a ship in the Baltic Sea and initiated a preliminary investigation into a serious sabotage incident. The ship is suspected of damaging an undersea communication cable connecting Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland earlier that day.
This incident is the latest in a series of undersea infrastructure damage cases in the Baltic Sea. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, undersea power cables, communication cables, and gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea have been repeatedly damaged. Analysts believe that this may be part of Russia’s “gray zone operations.”
Mats Ljungqvist, a senior prosecutor at the Swedish National Security Unit, stated, “Multiple agencies including the National Police, Coast Guard, and Armed Forces are involved in the investigation.”
The Swedish Coast Guard confirmed to Swedish newspaper Expressen that they were conducting a mission near the suspected vessel at the time. Reports indicated that the vessel, flying the Maltese flag, is the “Vezhen” and was anchored near the port of Karlskrona.
Coast Guard spokesman Mattias Lindholm said, “We took direct action on-site based on the prosecutor’s decision to detain the ship.”
According to data from the vessel tracking application VesselFinder, the ship departed from the Russian port of Ust-Luga a few days ago and is suspected of causing damage while sailing between Gotland in Sweden and Latvia.
Latvia’s National Broadcasting Center stated on Sunday that data transmission through the cable between Ventspils and Gotland was interrupted, indicating a cable break.
The center mentioned that they are still able to operate using alternative data transmission routes and are taking measures to repair the cable.
Vineta Sprugaine, Corporate Communications Manager at Latvia’s National Broadcasting Center (LVRTC), stated, “Currently, we have reason to believe that the cable has been severely damaged, and the damage is caused by external influences.”
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa posted on social media platform X that the Latvian government is “cooperating with our Swedish allies and NATO to investigate the incident, including patrolling the area and inspecting vessels in the region.”
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on platform X that at least one cable belonging to Latvia has been damaged, and he has been in close contact with Siliņa throughout Sunday.
The cable damage incident on Sunday is the latest in a series of events that have heightened concerns about Russian sabotage and espionage activities in this strategic region.
Previous incidents of Baltic Sea undersea data cable breaks have been linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” with hundreds of unidentified, old oil tankers evading sanctions to provide Russia with oil revenue and allegedly deliberately anchoring and dragging anchors on the seabed for tens of kilometers to cut cables or pipelines.
Earlier this month, NATO began a new mission called “Baltic Sentry,” deploying warships, maritime patrol planes, and drone fleets in the Baltic Sea. The Atlantic Alliance stated that enhanced surveillance and deterrence are aimed at protecting undersea cables and pipelines.
【This article is partly based on relevant reports from the Associated Press】