The United States is convinced that the incident with the damage to two cables in the Baltic Sea was not a sabotage, but rather an accident, UNN reports, citing CNN.
US officials believe that the incident with the disconnection of two cables in the Baltic Sea was an accident rather than sabotage. The EU disagrees. Two cables - BCS East-West, connecting Lithuania and Sweden, and C-Lion1, connecting Finland and Germany - were suddenly interrupted on Sunday and Monday.
Among European leaders, there were those who immediately raised their suspicions. For example, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that “no one believes that these cables were accidentally cut.
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The foreign ministers of Finland and Germany said in a joint statement, that they were “deeply concerned” about the incident and said it was likely to be part of a “hybrid war,” mentioning Russia in particular in their statement. According to CNN, such statements were not made without reason.
Russia has been accused of waging a hybrid war against Europe following a series of suspicious incidents, arsons, explosions and other acts of sabotage in many European countries that have been traced back to Moscow.
In addition, the incident occurred a few weeks after the United States said it suspected that Moscow might be targeting underwater infrastructure.
Also suspicious were the movements of Russian vessels in European waters and the significant reinforcement of a specialized Russian secret marine unit tasked with exploring the seabed.
Two U.S. officials with knowledge of the incident told CNN that they did not believe Russia or any other country was involved in the cable cutting. However, they said they believe the incident was likely caused by a tightening anchor from a nearby ship.
Such accidents have happened before, although not as quickly as on Sunday and Monday. However, the law enforcement agencies in Sweden and Finland have a different opinion about this situation: they are convinced that the damage was intentional. So, for example, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation announced the opening of a criminal investigation into alleged crimes related to serious crimes and interference with communications.
An interesting vessel
However, there is one vessel that did arouse the interest of the US authorities. According to Kpler, a ship-tracking company, the Chinese-flagged Yi Peng 3 crossed both cables around the time they were cut.
A U.S. official and a Western intelligence official have identified the vessel as being involved in the incident, but have not yet found any links between the ship and states or organizations that would have ordered such activities.
The Yi Peng 3 is currently anchored in the international waters of Kattegat, about 30 miles off the coast of Denmark and Sweden. According to Dimitris Ampatzidis, Kpler analyst, Yi Peng 3 is affiliated with Win Enterprise Ship Management and is registered as the property of Ningbo YiPeng Shipping Co Ltd.
As of November 20, 2024, neither the vessel nor these entities appear on published sanctions lists. However, historical trade data show that the vessel has transported Russian steam coal and coal from Murmansk and Nakhodka on at least seven occasions
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