Military Space News
CYBER WARS
Sweden seizes ship suspected of Baltic Sea cable 'sabotage'
Sweden seizes ship suspected of Baltic Sea cable 'sabotage'
by AFP Staff Writers
Riga (AFP) Jan 26, 2025

Sweden on Sunday said it had seized a ship suspected of having damaged a fibre-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 defences 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 prosecutors' 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 every day and night, allowing us to quickly dispatch it once we learnt about the damage," Latvian navy commander Maris Polencs said at a briefing Sunday.

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' -

Experts and politicians have accused Russia of orchestrating a hybrid war against the West as the two sides square off over Ukraine.

"The damage to the Sweden-Latvia undersea data cable is the latest in a series of systemic incidents affecting EU critical infrastructure," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said Sunday on X.

"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 metres (55 yards), officials said.

The cable belongs to Latvia's state radio and television centre (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."

European Union 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.

burs-sbk/jj

Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
CYBER WARS
Russia rejects UK accusations of targeting undersea cables
Moscow (AFP) Jan 23, 2025
Russia on Thursday denied ever targeting underwater communications cables, a day after London accused a "Russian spy ship" of passing through British waters and issued a direct warning to President Vladimir Putin. Britain said on Wednesday that its Royal Navy had tracked the ship about 45 miles (72 kilometres) off its coast, saying the vessel was being used for "gathering intelligence" and had been mapping critical underwater infrastructure. The accusations come with concern about the sabotage ... read more

CYBER WARS
Trump orders planning for 'Iron Dome' missile shield for US

RTX's Raytheon secures $529 million contract to bolster Dutch Patriot air defense system

Israel intercepts missiles fired from Yemen

Northrop Grumman approved for NGI target vehicle production

CYBER WARS
Philippines to train with US Typhon missile system next month

Kyiv says Ukraine missiles hit army radars in Russia

North Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles into sea

CENTCOM conducts first attack targeting Houthi rebels of 2025

CYBER WARS
Firestorm Labs awarded $100M contract by US Air Force to boost UAS development

'Unprecedented' level of control allows person without use of limbs to operate virtual quadcopter

US Navy expands contract with Packet Digital to advance UAS battery systems

Armadrone and MDSI unite to advance combat drone capabilities

CYBER WARS
SpaceX set to launch Hisdesat's SpainSat NG I satellite on January 28

Controversy in Italy over potential deal with Musk's SpaceX

Quadsat and NATO NCIA validate Quadsat system for WGS compliance testing

ESA to support development of secure EU communications satellite constellation

CYBER WARS
US pledges $117 mn in aid to Lebanon military

Spain pledges 10 million euros for Lebanon army

Swiss to mull conscripting women

US. unveils $500M in military aid at final Ukraine defense summit before Trump takes office

CYBER WARS
Portugal says to meet NATO defence spend minimum earlier

Raids and detentions in Ukraine arms smuggling crackdown

US lawmakers say UAE still sending arms to Sudan fighters

India boosts domestic arms industry and looks West to pare back Russia reliance

CYBER WARS
Putin says Russia 'ready for negotiations' with Donald Trump on Ukraine

Hegseth sworn in as US defense secretary

EU Russia hawks back Trump call to boost defence spending

US envoy tells NATO chief allies must pay 'fair share' before expansion

CYBER WARS
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.