Two undersea Internet cables, one connecting Germany and Finland and another linking Lithuania and Sweden, were severed on Monday. While many at first assumed it was accidental, Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has since stated that he believes it was done intentionally.
According to the New York Times, Pistorius doesn’t think one common theory for the disruption, ships dropping anchor, would be enough to cut the cables. While he said he doesn’t have any concrete proof at the moment, he stated that “nobody believes these cables were severed by accident” and claimed it was sabotage.
Germany and Finland issued a joint statement on Monday that noted a thorough investigation concerning the incident is ongoing. Lithuania did not release a statement but did say it was conducting an investigation as well. Those who suspect sabotage have pointed to Russia as a potential suspect, with Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland having seen potential Russian spy ships near these cables last year. The U.S. also released a warning this fall that undersea cables might be targeted after noticing increased Russian military activity around some crucial cables.
