In what appears to be a sabotage act, two undersea fiber optic cables were cut in the Baltic Sea on Monday. Between 2 and 8 am, a 745-mile fiber optic cable connecting Germany and Finland as well as a 135-mile cable linking Lithuania to the Swedish island Gotland was cut. Boris Pistorius, the German Minister of Defense, ruled out any accident in a press release.
“We must conclude, even without knowing who exactly did it, it was a hybrid act and we have to assume – without knowing it – that it’s sabotage,” Pistorius said to reporters at a meeting of the Council of the European Union in Brussels.
The damage is expected to take two weeks to be repaired.
Evidence points to the Chinese-flagged freighter Yi Peng 3.
HDMS Rota, the Danish patrol ship, is escorting the Yi Peng 3. The Danish government may decide to board the Yi Peng 3 as it passes through Danish water.
This incident is strikingly similar to that of the Chinese cargo ship New Polar Bear, which disabled a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia when it dragged an anchor over top. The freighter in that case made a hasty retreat to Arkhangelsk, a Russian port.
China’s hybrid conflict with the EU is obvious, whether it is in its interest or to support Russian adventurism. Unanswered Chinese attacks on critical infrastructure will only embolden the Chinese. This ship’s continued travel is a ticket to a more serious attack.
