Sweden probes sabotage after Baltic undersea cable damaged

Sweden has opened a sabotage investigation following the damage to a fiber optic cable in the Baltic Sea, with the Malta-flagged vessel Vezhen seized as part of the probe. The incident adds to a growing list of such attacks in the region since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Sweden has launched a sabotage investigation after an undersea fiber optic cable connecting Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Sunday, January 26. As part of the inquiry, Swedish authorities have seized the Malta-flagged bulk carrier Vezhen, which had passed near the damaged cable hours before it was discovered.

The country’s Security Service is currently examining the vessel in connection with the incident.

This latest damage is part of a wider pattern of attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, which has seen power cables, telecom lines, and gas pipelines targeted following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. NATO has stepped up its presence in the region with patrol ships and aircraft under its "Baltic Sentry" mission, coordinating efforts to safeguard the area.

According to MarineTraffic, thousands of commercial vessels navigate the Baltic Sea daily, and several passed by the damaged cable on Sunday. The Vezhen, which was escorted to Swedish waters and anchored outside the naval base in Karlskrona, may have been in the area when the cable was damaged, but it remains unclear if the vessel itself played a role.