Finnish operator Elisa said two telecommunications cables linking Estonia and Finland have been repaired after suspected sabotage.
Finnish authorities are investigating the suspected sabotage of four telecommunications cables and a power cable on December 25, just weeks after other cables in the area were torn down.
The cables are steel-reinforced with a diameter of just over two centimeters (0.78 in), with several layers of insulation that protect the fibers within.
Some experts and politicians have said that recent actions targeting infrastructure are part of a hybrid war between Russia and Western countries.
Ship caught in Finland on suspicion of sabotage
Investigators suspect sabotage on the Eagle S, an oil tanker flying the Cook Islands flag.
The Eagle S was towed into a bay near the port of Porvoo in Finland where police are currently gathering evidence and questioning the crew, eight of whom were named as suspects in the investigation.
The ship is accused of being part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”, with which the country has been transporting Russian oil products. Russian oil products have been banned due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Elisa security chief Jaakko Wallenius told the AFP news agency that the evidence linking the Eagle S to the sabotage site was “compelling”.
Work on the power cable will take several months
Wallenius also told Reuters news agency that the suspicion was that an anchor caused an external force that snapped the cables.
The power cable Estlink 2, damaged on December 25, has not yet been repaired, according to Finnish operator Fingrid and Estonia’s Elering, with the work expected to take several months.
ftm/wd (AFP, Reuters)
