Damage to cables in the Baltic Sea cannot be an accident – EU Commissioner

European Commissioner Henna Virkkunen said that accidental damage to submarine cables in the Baltic Sea is impossible. NATO and the EU will hold a special summit in Helsinki to discuss the protection of maritime infrastructure.

The European Union's new digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, believes that repeated damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea cannot be accidental. The topic will be discussed at the NATO summit. This UNNp reports with reference to Bloomberg.

Details

Virkkunen said in an interview with Bloomberg on Monday, “It can't be a coincidence if such incidents happen many times a year.”

She also said that on Tuesday, EU and NATO officials will gather in Helsinki along with leaders of countries with coastlines along the Baltic Sea to discuss “how we can better prevent, detect, and respond to such incidents.” The summit is co-hosted by Finland and Estonia.

There have been three incidents of damage to undersea power lines, data cables and a gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea in the past 15 months.

NATO is expanding its surveillance operations in the Baltic Sea region by sending two ships to the area following suspected sabotage of undersea cables between Finland and Estonia. Estonia has already sent a warship to patrol another power line.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told the European Parliament on Monday that more could be done to combat hybrid threats, the latest example of which is the cable disruptions. He added that Allied leaders would take further steps. “We must be more resilient to such hostile actions,” he said.

Finnish authorities are investigating an oil tanker belonging to Russia's “shadow fleet” to see if it cut an electrical cable between Finland and Estonia. 

Previously 

It was reported that damage to another power cable with traces of an anchor had been found in the Baltic Sea. The Swedish Defense Minister confirmed that this is the third damaged cable since the incident with the Yi Peng 3.

Recall 

In December, the EU adopted its 15th package of sanctions, this time targeting the shadow fleet of tankers that Russia uses to deliver its oil to market, in order to limit Moscow's ability to circumvent existing restrictive measures.