A Russian telecoms cable in the Gulf of Finland was damaged last month in yet another undersea Baltic infrastructure mystery.
Russian state-owned telecommunications operator Rostelecom first notified Finland about the failure of one of its cables — the Baltika telecommunications cable — on October 12, according to Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.
The Baltika telecommunications cable, a 1,000-kilometer cable that connects St. Petersburg to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, runs through parts of Sweden and Finland’s economic zones.
After negotiations with Helsinki, the Russian repair vessel Spatsel Karev arrived on site Monday to start repair work.
Damage to the Russian cable comes as Baltic countries grapple with multiple cases of damage to their critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
Last month, the Balticconnector gas pipeline — linking NATO members Finland and Estonia — was ruptured, along with two underwater telecommunications cables, connecting Estonia to Finland and Sweden.
Authorities believe the incidents are related to each other, as they all occurred around the same time, on October 8. News of the Russian cable damage came a few days later, leaving some doubt over any link.
On Monday, Deputy Commander of the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard Mikko Hirvi told Finnish outlet Helsingin Sanomat that there is no “definite information” about what happened yet, but “it is possible that this is related to the Balticconnector pipeline issue.”
The Coast Guard is supervising repair work in the Gulf by the Russian vessel, which might take several days, according to the newspaper.
During a preliminary investigation into the Balticconnector pipeline leak, authorities found an anchor on the floor of the Baltic Sea, believed to have caused the rupture to the pipeline.
While the probe is ongoing, Finnish authorities confirmed they are focusing on Chinese vessel Newnew Polar Bear and are closely working with China to determine the ship’s role in the damage.
In September 2022, the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany were damaged by several explosions and an international investigation has so far not been able to identify the culprit.
