BERLIN, (TDI): Germany has called the suspected sabotage of an undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia a “wake-up call,” urging the European Union to impose new sanctions on Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.”
The Estlink 2 cable, which transmits electricity from Finland to Estonia, was severed on Wednesday, following the recent severing of two telecommunications cables in Swedish waters in the Baltic Sea just weeks prior.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, speaking to the Funke media group, expressed serious concerns about repeated incidents in the region.
“Almost every month, major undersea cables in the Baltic Sea are being damaged by ships,” Baerbock stated. “Crews are leaving anchors in the water, dragging them for kilometers along the seafloor without explanation, only to lose them when retrieving them.”
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She dismissed the possibility of these incidents being accidental, emphasizing, “It’s more than difficult to still believe in coincidences. This is an urgent wake-up call for all of us.”
Baerbock called for enhanced European sanctions targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet” — vessels that continue to transport Russian crude oil and products despite EU embargoes imposed following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
She described the fleet as “a major threat to our environment and security,” accusing it of being a financial enabler of Russia’s aggression.
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Finnish authorities have launched an investigation into the oil tanker Eagle S, which recently departed from a Russian port, as part of a probe into “aggravated sabotage” of the Estlink cable.
In response to the escalating threats, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced on Friday that the alliance would increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea to bolster security.
