bimba-news.in.ua

WP: The damage to cables in the Baltic appears to have been accidental.

WP: Повреждение кабелей в Балтике, похоже, произошло случайно.

In particular, representatives from three unnamed countries involved in the investigations of the incidents reported to the publication that the intelligence community is gradually concluding that the damage to cables by the anchors of commercial vessels was not the result of deliberate actions directed by Moscow. On the contrary, the evidence available at this time suggests that the cables were damaged due to the inexperience of the crews of poorly maintained ships.

Officially, no accusations have been made against Russia in any of the countries regarding the intentional damage to the cables connecting, in particular, Finland and Estonia. However, unofficially, several representatives, primarily from the Baltic states, have expressed the theory of Moscow's involvement in the incidents. This topic has also been discussed in meetings within NATO – as a result of these discussions, a decision was recently made to launch a new monitoring mission in the Baltic Sea.

In recent months, two telecommunication and energy cables have been damaged in the Baltic Sea. Russia has denied any involvement in this matter.

In Finland, the tanker "Eagle S," which sails under the flag of the Cook Islands and is reportedly part of the so-called Russian shadow fleet, is currently under arrest. It is suspected that its anchor severed one of the cables. Several crew members have been prohibited from leaving the country, and an investigation is underway. Finnish President Alexander Stubb has stated that the severing of the cable was likely sabotage orchestrated by Russia. However, as noted by The Washington Post, Finnish intelligence services generally agree with their Western counterparts on the accidental nature of the incident, although they do not completely rule out the possibility of Russian involvement. Officially, the Finnish investigation bureau has stated that the investigation is ongoing and it is too early to draw conclusions.