Finnish-German data cable
Finland is also launching an investigation into cable damage
After Sweden, Finland is also investigating the incidents in the depths of the Baltic Sea. In contrast to their Swedish colleagues, the Finnish investigators initially do not speak of sabotage.
Following the Swedish authorities, the Finnish criminal police have also started investigations into the damage to communications cables in the Baltic Sea. Unlike the Swedes, however, the Finns are not investigating both incidents, but are concentrating on the damage to the Cinia C-Lion1 submarine cable, which runs between the Finnish capital Helsinki and Rostock in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. This emerges from a statement from the Finnish police.
The Finnish and Swedish authorities are supported by the federal police, as they announced upon request. Separate preliminary investigations have also been initiated into the incidents in the Baltic Sea. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said in Wiesbaden that the federal police were supporting the Swedish authorities with a ship.
The Swedish police had already launched an investigation the day before into possible sabotage of the two data cables, including the Finnish-German data cable and one that runs between Sweden and Lithuania.
The word sabotage was not mentioned by the Finnish police: at this point in time, the suspicion was classified as serious damage to property and serious disruption of communications. However, these classifications could change as the investigation progresses, the agency said.
Chinese freighter in focus
The damage to the two affected fiber optic cables occurred within less than 24 hours: According to information from the Swedish broadcaster SVT, the Swedish-Lithuanian data cable was damaged around 9 a.m. on Sunday morning around 50 kilometers from the Baltic Sea island of Gotland, and the Finnish-German cable was damaged then, according to the operator Cinia, on Monday morning around 3 a.m. east of the island of Öland.
According to reports, a Chinese freighter named “Yi Peng 3” has become the focus of investigators’ attention. On the way out of a Russian oil port, the ship is said to have been traveling near the affected areas at the time of the damage. It has been anchored in the Kattegat between Denmark and Sweden for a long time and is accompanied by a Danish patrol ship, according to data from the ship tracking service “Vesselfinder”.
It is still unclear whether the freighter was detained by the Danish Navy. The Danish Defense Command simply stated that they were present near the “Yi Peng 3”.
dpa
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
