Moscow’s shadow fleet attacking EU’s critical infrastructure, says Kallas
Photo: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (Getty Images)
Damage to critical cables in the Baltic Sea is forcing Europe to strengthen infrastructure protection. The EU thanked Finland for its "swift and determined action" in detaining the suspects, according to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, on Twitter (X).
"The Baltic Sea has seen a clear pattern of disruption since the start of Russia’s war. Europe’s critical infrastructure remains at high risk of sabotage," said Kaja Kallas.
She expressed gratitude to Finland for its prompt actions.
"I thank Finland for taking swift and determined action in seizing the ship and crew suspected of damaging subsea cables yesterday," she added.
Kallas emphasized the importance of Europe’s vigilance.
"The EU will continue to fortify its critical infrastructure, including by investing in new cables, strengthening surveillance, ensuring more repair capacity, and moving against Moscow’s shadow fleet, which also acts as a launchpad for hybrid attacks," Kaja Kallas added.
RBC-Ukraine reported that Finnish police detained two crew members of the vessel Fitburg over the cable damage in the Gulf of Finland. The nationality of those detained has not been disclosed. Interrogations of the crew began on the evening of Wednesday, December 31.
Five underwater communication cables were damaged in Estonia. The causes of the damage are under investigation, and telecom companies are carrying out repair work.
Earlier reports also indicated that an underwater cable connecting Finland and Estonia was damaged in the Gulf of Finland. The fault was detected on the morning of December 31.
This is not the first such incident: a similar situation occurred a year ago. On December 25, 2024, Finland reported damage to the Estlink 2 power cable connecting the two countries.
It later emerged that two communication cables belonging to Elisa and one CITIC Telecom cable were also damaged. According to media reports, two vessels were near the site of the damage, one of which was later detained.
On December 26, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas announced plans to strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure, noting that NATO allies could be involved in these measures.
