Subsea Fiber-Optic Cable Between Gotland and Latvia Severely Damaged: Investigation Underway
Early on Sunday morning, a subsea fiber-optic cable connecting Gotland and Latvia was reported to be “significantly damaged,” according to the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre (LVRTC). Vineta Sprugaine, the Head of Corporate Communications at LVRTC, stated that there are reasons to suspect the damage was caused by “external forces,” although the exact location and extent of the damage have not yet been determined.
LVRTC has called for a criminal investigation into the cause of the damage, and state police chief Armands Ruks informed Latvian outlet LTV that a criminal case has been initiated for “intentional damage to another’s property.”
Source: Finland National Bureau of Investigation
NATO is treating the incident as a potential anchor-drag event, marking the fourth such occurrence in the Baltic region in just over a year. Warships from NATO’s Baltic security patrol mission have intercepted two vessels, one of which has been detained. Open-source intelligence analysts have identified the vessels involved as the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier Vezhen and the Russia-linked LNG carrier Pskov, which was previously operated by the Russian state shipping company Sovcomflot.
The disruption occurred in the Ventspils-Gotland section of the data cable during the early hours of Sunday. Vezhen was navigating near Gotland, within the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and AIS data indicates that it slowed down for half an hour after passing the cable crossings. Pskov was in international waters, and its AIS track showed signs of transmission interruption, suggesting that its transceiver may have been temporarily turned off.
Like many vessels in the Sovcomflot fleet, Pskov’s ownership and management have recently been transferred to holding companies in more business-friendly jurisdictions. As of Sunday evening, the vessel was still moving in the Baltic Sea in international waters, accompanied by multiple NATO patrol vessels.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated, “Sweden, Latvia, and NATO are closely cooperating on the matter. Sweden will contribute relevant capabilities to the effort to investigate the suspected incident.”
