Finland's secret service says frequency of cable incidents is 'exceptional'

Finland’s security and intelligence service, Supo, has described the number of cable incidents in the Baltic Sea as "exceptional" in recent years, even though state actors possess far more effective means of conducting underwater sabotage than simply dragging anchors.

The Baltic Sea region has been on high alert since a series of outages—including disruptions to power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines—began following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. NATO has since increased its military presence in the area, deploying frigates, aircraft, and naval drones.

On Sunday, Finland released the oil tanker Eagle S, which is suspected of having damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and four data cables late last year. However, Finnish police have not yet reached definitive conclusions in several ongoing investigations.

Juha Martelius, head of Supo, emphasized that while the frequency of these incidents is notable, they are considered a secondary issue compared to the broader strategic threat in the region. “The biggest concern regarding the Baltic Sea is that Russia’s shadow fleet operates there and provides Russia with warfare capabilities by allowing Russia to sell energy to other countries,” he told Reuters. The "shadow fleet" refers to vessels used by Russia to transport oil, arms, and grains in defiance of international sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict.

In a national security review published on Tuesday, Supo noted that dozens of such vessels sail through the Gulf of Finland to Russian oil ports each week. Martelius warned that the abundance of these vessels increases the likelihood of further incidents affecting underwater critical infrastructure. He urged Western countries to take the threat seriously, stressing that state actors have significantly more effective capabilities for causing subsea destruction than by merely dragging anchors.

The ongoing investigations into these cable breaches underscore the persistent security challenges in the Baltic Sea region, as regional tensions and the potential for sabotage continue to grow.

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