The damage to two Baltic Sea telecommunications cables should be seen as an act of sabotage, although it is not clear who is responsible, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was quoted as saying by Reuters.
„No one believes that these cables were cut by mistake. I also do not believe the versions that the anchors accidentally damaged these cables,”, Pistorius said before a meeting of the defense ministers of the European Union member states in Brussels.
„That is why we have to state, without knowing exactly by whom, that this is a “hybrid” action. We also have to assume, without knowing it yet, that this is sabotage”, he added.
Lithuanian Navy says it has increased surveillance of the country's waters after a telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea was cut.
An assessment is now being made together with allies, a Lithuanian Armed Forces spokesman told Reuters.
Spokesman of the owner and operator “Arelion“ (Arelion) of the telecommunications cable told Reuters that the link between Lithuania and Sweden was “completely down”, but the reason remained unclear.