Finnish minister warns NATO may invoke Article 5 over cable sabotage
If the mysterious cable failure in the Baltic was the result of sabotage, Finland does not rule out invoking Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. "If a state is behind it, it will be perceived as an attack on a democratically free society," said the country's foreign minister, Elina Valtonen.
Finland and Germany reported on Monday that the undersea cable between their countries had been severed. Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen emphasized that the current cause of the incident is unknown. Still, the possibility of it being part of hybrid operations by a hostile state is being taken "very seriously."
According to Valtonen, it may necessitate invoking Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty if it is determined to be sabotage.
"As stated in NATO resolutions from the summer, hybrid measures can also trigger Article 5 if necessary," she said.
"If a state is behind it, it will be perceived as an attack on a democratic free society," she emphasized again.
Article 5 guarantees that an armed attack on a NATO member country will be considered an attack against the entire alliance.
Suspicious Chinese ship
In addition to disrupting the cable between Helsinki and Rostock, a similar infrastructure failure occurred with a connection between Lithuania and Sweden. Authorities are investigating both incidents.
The Finnish newspaper "Iltalehti" reported that the undersea cables were severed at the time when a Chinese cargo ship, Yi Peng 3, was passing through the area. Experts are noting suspicious ship movements. On Monday, the ship deviated from its route, loitered in the area, and returned to its course after about 1.5 hours.
