The EU is preparing new sanctions against russia's “shadow fleet” over the incident in the Baltic Sea

The European Union will strengthen the protection of underwater communications in the Baltic Sea after another incident of damage suspected to be caused by russia. This was reported by the European Union Diplomatic Service, UNN reports .

Details

The EU expressed its position in a joint statement by the European Commission and the High Representative on the investigation into the damage to electrical and data cables in the Baltic Sea.

The submarine cable incident in the Baltic Sea is the latest in a series of suspected attacks on critical infrastructure. We commend the prompt actions of the Finnish authorities who inspected the vessel suspected of being involved in the incident. We are cooperating with the Finnish authorities in the ongoing investigation and express our full solidarity with Finland, Estonia and Germany

The EU strongly condemns any act of deliberate destruction of Europe's critical infrastructure.

The suspected vessel is part of russia's so-called "shadow fleet" that threatens security and the environment while financing Russia's military budget. We will propose additional measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet

In response to the incident, the EU is stepping up measures to protect submarine cables. In particular, it plans to improve threat detection systems, expand international cooperation, and increase the ability to repair submarine infrastructure.

EU representatives also emphasized that electricity supplies in the region are not currently under threat.

Recall

The EstLink 2 power cable connecting Estonia and Finland has been disconnected in an emergency.