Blasts were detected by seismologists from the NORSAR institute at the time of the October 8 severance of the Balticconnector pipeline – though experts stressed that they were not absolutely conclusive of sabotage. Now, Sweden has reported partial damage to an undersea telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea running to Estonia which authorities believe occurred at the same time.
Swedish Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said that it is unclear what caused the destruction to the Swedish-owned cable, which was located on Estonian territory, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) off the island of Hiiumaa in northern Estonia and Service was restored within a few days.
Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson said that his country’s police, military, and coast guard were in contact with their Estonian counterparts regarding the matter. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said that the exact reason for the failure of the cable between Sweden and Estonia still needs to be clarified. The incidents come just over a year after the Nord Stream gas pipelines running between Germany and Russia in the Baltic Sea were damaged by explosions believed to be sabotage.
CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE NEWS
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