The investigation reportedly has not found any proof that four incidents in the Baltic Sea were deliberate sabotage
Western countries investigating a string of cable cutting incidents in the Baltic Sea are struggling to find any definitive proof that they were deliberate state-orchestrated sabotage rather than accidents, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
Over the past several months, there have been at least four separate incidents in which sea cables in the region were apparently damaged either by Russian vessels or vessels operating from Russian ports. This triggered speculation that Moscow was behind what was suspected to be sabotage. The Kremlin has consistently denied any involvement.
In the first such reported incident in October, the Chinese bulk carrier ‘Newnew Polar Bear’ cut two cables with its anchor, but it was allowed to sail on despite an investigation having been launched.
In another case in November, the ‘Yi Peng 3’, a Chinese-flagged and crewed bulk carrier, was suspected of damaging two telecom cables near Sweden’s Gotland island. According to the WSJ, while Western intelligence agencies initially privately suggested that the ship’s captain may have acted under Moscow’s orders, a subsequent German and EU-led investigation “didn’t result in evidence to support that allegation.”
Investigators, however, reportedly insisted that it was almost impossible that the ship’s anchor had been dropped accidentally. Still, they did not rule gross negligence or bad weather.
One of the vessels also under investigation was the ‘Eagle S’, a Russian oil tanker suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia in December 2024. While the Finnish authorities examined the ship and questioned its crew, officials could not gather enough proof to issue arrest warrants or press charges. The ship was eventually released, the WSJ reported.
In late January, the Swedish authorities detained the ‘Vezhen’, a Bulgarian bulk carrier, after it damaged a subsea cable shortly after departing the Russian port of Ust-Luga not far from the Estonian border. However, the ship was later released due to lack of evidence of it having been involved in sabotage.
Officials leading the investigations told the WSJ that proving sabotage is extremely difficult, as it requires substantial evidence of intentional wrongdoing and that prosecutors would be obliged to demonstrate that the damage was deliberate rather than caused by accidental anchor drops or extreme weather conditions. These factors “are frustrating Western officials,” many of whom see the incidents as part of a “hybrid war” unleashed by Russia, the article said.
In mid-January, in response to the sea cable incidents, NATO announced the Baltic Sentry mission to enhance surveillance and protection of critical undersea infrastructure in the region.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed speculation of Russian involvement as baseless, stating, “It is quite absurd to continue to blame Russia for everything without any grounds.”
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