Baltic Sea cables cut: Russian hand or maritime mishap?
The head of the State Duma's defense committee, Andrei Kartapolov, was asked about Russia's involvement in the damage to cables in the Baltic Sea. "I think it's a sawfish," the politician mocked. The Russian Foreign Ministry urges people not to look for the "hand of Moscow."
11:21 AM EST, November 21, 2024
Damage occurred to cables connecting Germany with Finland and Lithuania with Sweden in the Baltic Sea. The head of the State Duma's defense committee, Andrei Kartapolov, suggested that a sawfish is responsible for the incident. "I think it's a sawfish," he mockingly told journalists.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, represented by Maria Zakharova, appealed to not attribute responsibility to Russia for every incident. Zakharova made this comment in response to Western media’s publications about the possible use of a ship flying under the Chinese flag by Russia to sabotage NATO countries' underwater infrastructure.
An act of sabotage?
Damage to an undersea telecommunications cable running on the Baltic Sea floor between Lithuania and Sweden was reported by the Telia company on Monday. That same day, Finnish company Cinia announced a similar cable break connecting Helsinki with Rostock, Germany.
Andrius Semeskevicius from the Lithuanian operator Telia emphasized that both cables were cut, ruling out accidental anchor dropping. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius suggested it could be an act of sabotage.
Chinese ship under scrutiny
Suspicions fell on the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3, which left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on November 15th. The ship drew attention from the Danish military due to unusual maneuvers. The ship's captain, Russian Aleksander Stechentsev, claimed he left the vessel after an hour and a half into the voyage.
The Stockholm police have launched an investigation into possible sabotage.
The United States had previously warned of increased Russian activity around crucial undersea cables. U.S. officials indicated that the Russian Ministry of Defense is preparing a unit to sabotage NATO countries' communication infrastructure.
