Swedish authorities have stopped a ship after fiber-optic cables beneath the Baltic Sea were damaged.
Cables linking Latvia to the Swedish island of Gotland sustained damage on Sunday, prompting a sabotage investigation.
Prosecutors in Sweden have now ordered the detention of a Maltese-flagged ship, Vezhen, currently anchored close to the country’s naval base at the port of Karlskrona, reports say.
Swedish authorities the ship to begin an investigation into the matter, the country's security police said on Monday.
“We can confirm that persons from Swedish authorities have been on board the vessel to carry out investigative measures,” Swedish Security Services spokesperson Johan Wikstrom said. He declined to comment further on the investigation, Reuters reported.
The vessel seems to have a damaged anchor, according to photos published on Monday by the Swedish Expressen newspaper.
The vessel is owned by the Navigation Maritime Bulgare, a cargo and passenger shipping company based in Varna, Bulgaria, according to the Sofia-based Novinite news website
It reports that the ship set off from the Russian port of Ust-Luga several days prior to the incident and was between Gotland and Latvia at the time the cable damage is thought to have happened. It was later escorted to Swedish waters by the country’s coast guard, reports stated.
“We are now carrying out a number of concrete investigative measures, but I cannot go into what they consist of due to the ongoing preliminary investigation,” senior Swedish prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a statement, cited by Reuters.
The head of Bulgarian shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgare, Captain Aleksandar Kalchev, said that its Vezhen vessel might have hit a Baltic undersea cable that was damaged on Sunday. He said one of the ship's anchors dropped to sea floor in high winds and that there was no malicious intent, Reuters reported.
Prosecutors in Sweden have now ordered the detention of a Maltese-flagged ship, Vezhen, currently anchored close to the country’s naval base at the port of Karlskrona, reports say.
Swedish authorities the ship to begin an investigation into the matter, the country's security police said on Monday.
“We can confirm that persons from Swedish authorities have been on board the vessel to carry out investigative measures,” Swedish Security Services spokesperson Johan Wikstrom said. He declined to comment further on the investigation, Reuters reported.
The vessel seems to have a damaged anchor, according to photos published on Monday by the Swedish Expressen newspaper.
The vessel is owned by the Navigation Maritime Bulgare, a cargo and passenger shipping company based in Varna, Bulgaria, according to the Sofia-based Novinite news website
It reports that the ship set off from the Russian port of Ust-Luga several days prior to the incident and was between Gotland and Latvia at the time the cable damage is thought to have happened. It was later escorted to Swedish waters by the country’s coast guard, reports stated.
“We are now carrying out a number of concrete investigative measures, but I cannot go into what they consist of due to the ongoing preliminary investigation,” senior Swedish prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a statement, cited by Reuters.
The head of Bulgarian shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgare, Captain Aleksandar Kalchev, said that its Vezhen vessel might have hit a Baltic undersea cable that was damaged on Sunday. He said one of the ship's anchors dropped to sea floor in high winds and that there was no malicious intent, Reuters reported.
Latvian response
On Sunday, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa stated that the country is closely cooperating with Sweden and NATO in response to the situation.
“We have determined that there is most likely external damage and that it is significant,” she said.
Latvia’s navy said on Sunday that three vessels in total were under investigation.
The cable, operated by Latvia’s state broadcaster LVRTC, experienced “disruptions in data transmission services,” but the organization assured that most users were not significantly affected.
NATO said last week it would deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and naval drones in the Baltic Sea to help protect critical infrastructure.
The military alliance is taking the action, dubbed ‘Baltic Sentry,’, following a string of incidents in which power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines have been damaged in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the mission would enhance surveillance efforts with more patrol aircraft, warships, and drones.
Although Russia has not been directly implicated, Baltic Sentry involves increased monitoring of Moscow's so-called shadow fleet, comprised of vessels with ambiguous ownership often used to transport embargoed oil.
Rutte said there was “reason for grave concern” regarding infrastructure damage, asserting that NATO would respond firmly to future incidents, including boarding or seizing suspect ships if necessary.
In late 2024, Finnish authorities began investigating possible Russian involvement in sabotaging an electricity cable between Finland and Estonia.
“We have determined that there is most likely external damage and that it is significant,” she said.
Latvia’s navy said on Sunday that three vessels in total were under investigation.
The cable, operated by Latvia’s state broadcaster LVRTC, experienced “disruptions in data transmission services,” but the organization assured that most users were not significantly affected.
‘Baltic Sentry’
NATO said last week it would deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and naval drones in the Baltic Sea to help protect critical infrastructure.
The military alliance is taking the action, dubbed ‘Baltic Sentry,’, following a string of incidents in which power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines have been damaged in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the mission would enhance surveillance efforts with more patrol aircraft, warships, and drones.
Although Russia has not been directly implicated, Baltic Sentry involves increased monitoring of Moscow's so-called shadow fleet, comprised of vessels with ambiguous ownership often used to transport embargoed oil.
Rutte said there was “reason for grave concern” regarding infrastructure damage, asserting that NATO would respond firmly to future incidents, including boarding or seizing suspect ships if necessary.
In late 2024, Finnish authorities began investigating possible Russian involvement in sabotaging an electricity cable between Finland and Estonia.
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