NATO allies must respond if investigations into the severing of two fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea reveal that this was intentional, Lithuania's Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said on Friday.
One cable running between Sweden and Lithuania was cut on Sunday, and another one between Finland and Germany was severed less than 24 hours later, on Monday.
“Lithuania, Sweden, Finland have launched investigations. Depending on their results, the European Union and NATO allies must appropriately respond to malicious action by applying restrictive measures," Šimonytė said.
According to a Finnish state-controlled cyber security and telecoms network company, the 1,200-kilometer fiber-optic cable running through the Baltic Sea from Helsinki, Finland's capital, to the German port of Rostock may have been severed by an outside force.
Finnish and German foreign ministries said in a joint statement that they were “deeply concerned” by the severed cable and that a thorough investigation was underway.
Meanwhile, the Danish military said it was staying close to a Chinese ship currently sitting idle in Danish waters and is under suspicion in Sweden’s investigation into recent undersea cable breaches.
The ship, which was in the affected areas according to traffic data, is being monitored by the Danish navy, with Swedish authorities confirming interest in the vessel as part of a possible sabotage probe.
“Lithuania, Sweden, Finland have launched investigations. Depending on their results, the European Union and NATO allies must appropriately respond to malicious action by applying restrictive measures," Šimonytė said.
According to a Finnish state-controlled cyber security and telecoms network company, the 1,200-kilometer fiber-optic cable running through the Baltic Sea from Helsinki, Finland's capital, to the German port of Rostock may have been severed by an outside force.
Finnish and German foreign ministries said in a joint statement that they were “deeply concerned” by the severed cable and that a thorough investigation was underway.
Meanwhile, the Danish military said it was staying close to a Chinese ship currently sitting idle in Danish waters and is under suspicion in Sweden’s investigation into recent undersea cable breaches.
The ship, which was in the affected areas according to traffic data, is being monitored by the Danish navy, with Swedish authorities confirming interest in the vessel as part of a possible sabotage probe.
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