Undersea Cable Between Latvia, Sweden Damaged Again in Baltic Sea, Patrol Boat Detain Suspect Ship

On January 26, in the morning, the submarine fiber optic cable between Latvia and Sweden of the Latvian State Radio and Television Center (LVRTC) was damaged, LSM reports.

LVRTC continues to provide data transmission services using other routes. However, there may be a slowdown in speed, although this does not affect end users in Latvia.

“At the moment, there is reason to believe that the cable is significantly damaged and that the damage was caused by an external influence,” said LVRTC spokesperson Vineta Sprugaine.

Given that the cable lies at a depth of more than 50 meters, the specific type of damage can only be determined once repair work begins.

The Prime Minister of Latvia, Evika Silina, convened responsible ministers and heads of services in connection with the accident. “We continue to cooperate with NATO and the countries of the Baltic Sea region to clarify the circumstances and investigate the incident,” she said.

“We have determined that there is most likely external damage, and that it is significant,” Silina told reporters after an extraordinary government meeting.

According to her, the cable was probably damaged in Sweden's economic zone. According to the Latvian Prime Minister, the Swedish Coast Guard is to be involved in the investigation. “The authorities have stepped up information exchange and launched a criminal investigation,” she wrote on social media platform X.

Sweden detained a ship in the Baltic Sea on suspicion of damaging a cable.

According to Latvian authorities, the country's navy sent a patrol boat to check the vessel suspected of involvement in the incident. Two other vessels in the area are also under suspicion, the Latvian Navy said.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson emphasized that his country is actively cooperating with Latvia in the investigation of the incident. Actions are being coordinated at the NATO level. In early January, the Alliance announced the launch of a mission to protect submarine cables in the Baltic Sea.

In recent months, two more telecommunications and energy cables have been damaged in the Baltic Sea. The tanker Eagle S, which flies the Cook Islands flag and, according to a number of reports, belongs to the Russian “shadow fleet” that Moscow uses to circumvent sanctions on exported oil, is currently under arrest in Finland. It is likely that the anchor of this vessel cut the Estlink 2 cable connecting Estonia and Finland.