By AFP | 2025-01-28

RIGA -- Sweden January 26 said it had seized a ship suspected of having damaged a fiber-optic cable under the Baltic Sea linking the country to Latvia, which sent a warship to investigate the latest apparent act of sabotage.

The latest incident came as nations around the Baltic Sea scramble to bolster their defenses after the suspected sabotage of undersea cables in recent months, with some observers blaming Russia.

Swedish prosecutors opened an investigation into "aggravated sabotage," according to a statement from the Scandinavian nation's prosecutor's office.

"A vessel suspected of having committed the sabotage has been seized," the statement added.

Latvia's navy earlier said it had identified a "suspect vessel," the Michalis San, near the location of the incident along with two other ships.

Several websites tracking naval traffic said the Michalis San was headed for Russia.

"We have a warship patrolling the Baltic Sea around the clock ... allowing us to quickly dispatch it once we learnt about the damage," Latvian navy commander Maris Polencs said at a briefing January 26.

Prime Minister Evika Silina said Riga had notified the Swedish authorities and that the two countries were working together in response to the incident.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed he had been in contact with Silina during the day.

"There is information suggesting that at least one data cable between Sweden and Latvia has been damaged in the Baltic Sea. The cable is owned by a Latvian entity," he posted on X.

"Sweden, Latvia and NATO are closely cooperating on the matter," he added.

Data 'disruption'

Analysts and politicians have accused Russia of orchestrating a hybrid war against the West as the two sides square off over Ukraine. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

"The damage to the Sweden-Latvia undersea data cable is the latest in a series of systemic incidents affecting EU [European Union] critical infrastructure," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said on X January 26.

"We express solidarity with the affected EU partners. An increased NATO presence in the Baltic Sea is critical to countering such threats."

NATO earlier this month announced it was launching a new monitoring mission in the Baltic Sea involving patrol ships and aircraft to deter any attempts to target undersea infrastructure in the region.

The damage occurred in Swedish territorial waters at a depth of at least 50 meters, officials said.

The cable belongs to Latvia's state radio and television center (LVRTC), which said in a statement that there had been "disruptions in data transmission services."

The company said alternatives had been found and end users would mostly not be affected although "there may be delays in data transmission speeds."

The statement added: "Based on current findings, it is presumed that the cable is significantly damaged due to external factors. LVRTC has initiated criminal procedural actions."

EU President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her "full solidarity" with the countries affected by the incident.

"The resilience and security of our critical infrastructure is a top priority," von der Leyen wrote on X.