Accident or sabotage? American and European officials disagree as key undersea cables are cut

CNN
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Investigators are trying to crack the mystery of how two undersea internet cables in the Baltic Sea were cut within hours of each other, with European officials saying they believe the disruption was an act of sabotage and US officials suggesting it was likely an accident.

The two cables – the BCS East-West connecting Lithuanian and Sweden and the C-Lion1 linking Finland with Germany – were suddenly disrupted on Sunday and Monday.

European leaders were quick to voice their suspicions. Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that “nobody believes that these cables were accidentally severed.”

The foreign ministers of Finland and Germany said in a joint statement that they were “deeply concerned” about the incident and raised the possibility that it was part of a “hybrid warfare,” specifically mentioning Russia in their statement.

Their assessment was not plucked out of thin air. Russia has been accused of waging a hybrid war against Europe after a string of suspicious incidents, arson attacks, explosions and other acts of sabotage across multiple European countries were traced back to Moscow.

And the disruption to the cables came just weeks after the US warned that Moscow was likely to target critical undersea infrastructure. This followed months of suspicious movements of Russian vessels in European waters and the significant beefing up of a dedicated Russian secretive marine unit tasked with surveying the seabed.

But two US officials familiar with the initial assessment of the incident told CNN on Tuesday the damage was not believed to be deliberate activity by Russia or any other nation.

Instead, the two officials told CNN they believed it likely caused by an anchor drag from a passing vessel. Such accidents have happened in the past, although not in a quick succession like the two on Sunday and Monday.

The Kremlin on Wednesday rejected the “laughable” suggestions that it was involved, saying it was “absurd to keep blaming Russia for anything without any grounds.”

Still, law enforcement agencies in both Sweden and Finland indicated they believe the damage deliberate.

The Swedish Prosecuting Administration said Tuesday it launched a preliminary investigation into a suspected sabotage. Then on Wednesday, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation announced it was opening a criminal investigation into the suspected crimes of aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications.

One vessel in particuar has sparked the interest of authorities and online sleuths.

Vessel tracking data from Kpler shows the Chinese-flagged ship Yi Peng 3 crossed both cables at around the time each was cut. The BCS EastWest was cut around 10 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, and the C-Lion 1 was cut around 4 a.m. local time on Monday, per Finnish telecom provider Cinia.

The bulk carrier was sailing from a Russian port, where it docked for several days.

On Wednesday, the Danish Armed Forces said they were present in the area near Yi Peng 3, but did not say whether they pursued the vessel.

A US official and a Western intelligence official both named the Yi Peng 3 as the likely ship involved in the incident. However, sources said, the US has not yet found any ties between this ship and states or entities that would order such activity.

Such accidents have happened in the past, although not in a quick succession like the two on Sunday and Monday.

On Wednesday, Cinia updated the location it believed the cut occurred at – 50 miles farther west than initially thought – which matched the track of the Yi Peng 3. Roughly six hours after the second cable was cut, the Chinese vessel stopped for roughly half an hour before continuing on.

The vessel is currently anchored in international waters in the Kattegat, about 30 miles off the coast of Denmark and Sweden.

The Yi Pen 3 had been sailing out of the Baltic Sea after a stop in the port of Vistino, Russia. Ship tracking data shows that it crossed other undersea infrastructure in the Baltic, including four gas and oil pipelines, a power line and another telecommunications cable under construction.

Asked about the vessel during a press briefing on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said he was “not aware of the situation.”

He said China “has always fully fulfilled its flag state obligations and requires Chinese ships to strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations.”

“We also attach great importance to protecting the safety of undersea infrastructure and work with the international community to actively promote the construction and protection of submarine cables and other global information infrastructure,” he said.

According to Dimitris Ampatzidis, an analyst at Kpler, the Yi Peng 3 is linked to Win Enterprise Ship Management and registered as owned by Ningbo YiPeng Shipping Co Ltd.

“As of November 20, 2024, neither the vessel nor these entities appear on published sanction lists. However, historical trade data shows the ship has transported Russian thermal coal and coal from Murmansk and Nakhodka on at least seven occasions,” Ampatzidis said.

CNN has reached out to both companies for comment.