An underwater fiber optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged this morning, possibly as a result of "external influence", Reuters reported, quoted by BTA, citing Latvian public broadcaster LSM.
The Latvian Navy has sent a patrol to check the vessel that may have caused the damage and is coordinating its actions with NATO, LSM reported.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silinė has called an emergency government meeting.
The cable connected the Latvian city of Ventspils with the Swedish island of Gotland, the Latvian State Broadcasting Center reported.
At the end of December, NATO has increased its presence in the Baltic Sea after a vessel damaged an underwater power cable and four communications cables between Estonia and Finland. In 2023 and 2024, ships sailing to and from Russia damaged a gas pipeline and underwater cables in the Baltic Sea, in what Western officials say may have been sabotage, Reuters noted.