Russian ship repairs Finnish zone cable amid rising tensions
In the Gulf of Finland, a Russian ship commenced repair work on a damaged cable belonging to a Russian operator, the Finnish Coast Guard reported on Saturday. The repair is being conducted in Finland's exclusive economic zone.
The situation is being monitored, and a patrol vessel has been dispatched to the area, the statement said, emphasising that it is specifically being checked whether the repair is being conducted in accordance with the regulations for the use of the zone.
Finnish authorities have "for some time" been aware of the repair work on the cable and have granted the Russian side permission to carry out the work. However, no detailed information was provided about the damage or when it occurred, the STT agency reported.
A series of failures in the Baltic Sea
Cable and pipeline failures running along the Baltic Sea floor have become a significant problem in the age of hybrid warfare conducted by Russia against the West. As we reported in January, there are about 30 international cables running along the Baltic Sea floor, including those crucial for security, power bridges, and telecommunications connections. In addition to these, there are six gas pipelines.
The damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline in the autumn of 2023, and earlier the notable Nord Stream lines, the severing of telecommunications cables, and the EstLink 2 power bridge at the end of December last year are just some examples of suspicious "incidents" that have occurred in the Baltic Sea.
In mid-January, NATO's naval forces command announced the dispatch of two initial ships to the Gulf of Finland as part of the new Baltic Sentry mission established at a Tuesday meeting of Alliance representatives in Helsinki. They are intended to monitor the cables running along the Baltic Sea floor.
