Russia Suspected, Critical Undersea Internet Cable Severed linking Finland to Germany

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An essential undersea internet cable linking Finland to Germany has been severed, raising alarms about potential Russian involvement in the incident. The break occurred early Monday morning near Gotland, a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea, and has disrupted a critical communication link between Finland and central Europe.  

 

 

The Finnish state-owned data service provider, Cinia, announced the disruption and dispatched a repair ship to investigate the cause of the outage. Ari-Jussi Knaapila, the company’s chief executive, noted the unusual nature of such damage, stating, “At the moment, there is no way to assess the cause of the cable break, but such breaks without external impact do not happen in these waters.” Despite this, Knaapila acknowledged the possibility of accidental damage caused by human activity, such as a trawler or a ship deploying an emergency anchor.  

 

 

While Cinia emphasized there is no direct evidence pointing to sabotage, the situation has reignited security concerns in Finland, particularly in light of its recent NATO membership. The fibre optic cables, critical to international internet traffic, are typically protected by double-armored steel casings, making accidental damage uncommon.  

 

The disruption is unlikely to affect most internet users in Finland, as the country can redirect data traffic through other undersea cables. However, the symbolic significance of the incident has heightened tensions. Finland has been on heightened alert for potential espionage activities from Russia since its accession to NATO, ending a long-standing policy of neutrality.  

 

These concerns are not without context. NATO intelligence warned in September of Russia’s suspected efforts to strengthen a covert submarine unit capable of targeting undersea infrastructure. Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president, further exacerbated fears by declaring undersea cables to be legitimate targets, referencing Western "complicity" in the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.  

 

As investigations continue, the severed cable serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in Europe’s critical infrastructure and the growing risks of geopolitical tensions spilling into vital technological domains.  

 

Based on a report by Daily Telegraph 2024-11-19

 

 

 

[gargamon]

And so it begins. Communication satellites next.