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Germany, Finland Alarmed by Severed Undersea Cable

Germany and Finland have expressed grave concern following the disruption of an undersea cable that connects the two nations.

The 1,170-kilometre (730-mile) telecommunications cable, which is currently under investigation, was severed amid growing tensions with Russia. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of both countries stressed that European security is facing threats not only from Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, “but also from hybrid warfare by malicious actors.”

The incident follows a series of similar events in the Baltic Sea, where damage to pipelines has sparked fears of sabotage. In October 2023, a natural gas pipeline linking Finland and Estonia was severely damaged, with Finnish authorities later attributing the incident to a Chinese container ship dragging its anchor.

Meanwhile, German authorities are still investigating the 2022 explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany, an event that has been surrounded by speculation, with unverified theories suggesting involvement from Ukrainian, Russian, or US entities.

The latest disruption involves the C-Lion1 fibre-optic cable, which links Helsinki to Rostock in Germany. Finnish network operator Cinia confirmed that all fibre connections within the cable were severed. A spokesperson for Cinia remarked that such incidents are unlikely to occur without external interference.

Samuli Bergstrom, a cybersecurity expert with the Finnish government, reassured that the cable failure had not disrupted internet traffic between Finland and Germany, as alternative routes remain operational.

Frances Ibiefo