Swedish Defense Investigation Concludes: Undersea Communication Cable Damaged Deliberately on the Day of Balticconnector Pipeline Incident

The Swedish Ministry of Defense has confirmed that the telecommunications cable between Sweden and Estonia was deliberately damaged by an external force or interference on the same day a mysterious incident occurred on the Balticconnector pipeline, connecting Estonia and Finland. The official statement was published on the Swedish Ministry of Defense's website.

The statement, issued by the ministry, affirmed that the investigation had "confirmed that the telecommunications cable between Sweden and Estonia was damaged due to external force or interference." However, the statement did not specify any particular countries or organizations suspected of causing the cable damage, nor did it provide details about the nature of the damage.

"We are closely collaborating with our Estonian and Finnish partners. Estonia has reported physical signs of interference and assessed that the damage to the gas pipeline and the communication cable between Finland and Estonia is linked to the cable damage between Sweden and Estonia," stated Civil Defense Minister Karl-Oskar Bolin in the aftermath of the incident.

Immediately following the incident, Sweden offered its assistance to Finland and Estonia in investigating the matter. Swedish police, security services, armed forces, and coast guard have been in contact with their Finnish and Estonian counterparts to offer support and assistance.

"The relevant Swedish authorities are investigating the situation in close cooperation with Estonian colleagues. The Swedish Armed Forces ship, HMS Belos, has been dispatched to the scene to conduct an investigation. NATO has also sent a clear signal with an increased presence in the Baltic Sea after these events," noted Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson.

As a reminder, on October 8, 2023, at approximately 02:00, the Finnish company GTS Gasgrid Finland and its Estonian counterparts from Elering noticed an abnormal drop in pressure in the Balticconnector undersea gas pipeline. Subsequently, damage to the telecommunication cable of the Estonian company Elisa was also discovered.

Earlier, during the investigation of the Balticconnector pipeline incident, President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs expressed the opinion that if Russia's involvement was proven in this event, the Baltic Sea should be closed to maritime traffic.

Simultaneously, in the political and military circles of Finland, there are claims that Russia is behind the Sunday incident involving a gas leak in the Balticconnector pipeline connecting the country with Estonia.