Estonia's armed forces have launched a naval operation to protect an undersea power cable after several were damaged in the Baltic Sea on Christmas Day.
According to foreign media, Finnish authorities suspect that a vessel that is part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet, old tankers seeking to avoid sanctions on Russian oil, was responsible for the incident.
Investigators believe the Cook Islands-registered vessel, named the Eagle S, damaged or broke four internet lines with its anchor, writes A2 CNN.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said today that if there is a "threat to critical underwater infrastructure" in the region, "there will also be a response" as he confirmed the navy will patrol the area to protect a cable known as Estlink 1.
Two fiber optic cables connecting Finland and Estonia were broken, a third is also believed to be damaged and a fourth between Finland and Germany may have been severed, according to Finnish transport and communications agency Traficom.
A Finnish coast guard crew boarded the ship yesterday, taking the vessel into Finnish waters, a coast guard official said at a news conference.
Robin Lardot, director of the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, said they were investigating "serious sabotage".
"According to our understanding, an anchor of the ship that is under investigation caused the damage," he added, writes A2 CNN. (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
