Sweden and Estonia Are Investigating the Reasons for the Damage to the Underwater Communication Cable

The Swedish authorities have discovered damage to the telecommunications cable laid between Estonia and Sweden. It is most likely that the damage occurred at the same time as the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland.

This information was reported by SVT, referring to the statements of the Swedish Minister of Defense, Paul Johnson, and the Minister of Civil Defense in Sweden, Karl-Oskar Bolin.

According to Minister Bolin, it is currently considered "partial" damage, rather than the complete destruction of the entire telecommunications cable. At the same time, the official emphasized that the relevant Swedish authorities are already working closely with their Finnish and Estonian colleagues.

The marine telecommunications cable is part of critical infrastructure that ensures the availability of communication and the internet in Sweden and Estonia.

The exact reasons for the damage to the cable are being determined. However, according to reports in Swedish media, most experts lean towards the belief that the damage to both the Balticconnector gas pipeline and the communication cable was caused by external interference.

Recall that on October 8, 2023, at approximately 02:00, the Finnish company GTS Gasgrid Finland and its Estonian colleagues from Elering noticed an abnormal drop in pressure in the Balticconnector underwater gas pipeline. After some time, damage to the Estonian company Elisa's telecommunications cable was also discovered.

Since then, experts from both countries have conducted their own investigations to determine the cause of the damage to the gas pipeline.

The incident became a topic of discussion between the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, and the NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg. After the dialogue, Niinistö stated that the damage to the gas pipeline and cable was the "result of external activity."

"The damage to the subsea infrastructure has been taken seriously and an investigation into its cause has been underway since Sunday. It is likely that the damage to both the gas pipeline and the telecommunications cable is the result of external activity. The cause of the damage has not yet been determined, and the investigation is ongoing in cooperation between Finland and Estonia," the president said.

Balticconnector is a gas pipeline created as part of the cooperation between Finland and Estonia to reduce the costs of transporting gas between Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, and, most importantly, to reduce the region's dependence on Russian gas.

As previously reported by The Gaze, the involvement of Russia in the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline and telecommunications cables is actively discussed in political and military circles in Finland.