Sweden has urgently requested a Chinese cargo ship, which was passing near damaged communication cables in the Baltic Sea, to move into Swedish territorial waters to assist with the investigation. This has been reported by several European media outlets.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson emphasized that he is "not making any accusations" but wants to "achieve clarity on what happened."
The 225-meter bulk carrier is currently in international waters between Sweden and Denmark. The dry cargo ship, which was coming from Russia, drew attention after its presence was noted in the area of the severed cables on November 17 and 18. Sweden, Finland, and Germany are investigating the circumstances of the incident, which is believed to involve sabotage.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Germany and Finland noted that the damage occurred at a time when "our European security is threatened not only by Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine but also by the hybrid warfare conducted by malicious actors."
This is not the first time Russia has been accused or suspected of sabotage attempts. For instance, in the crash of a DHL cargo plane last week, several European politicians saw a Russian connection. Moscow denies any involvement in the incident.
Last year, a gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia was damaged on the Baltic Sea floor, along with communication cables. Authorities claimed this was caused by a Chinese vessel dragging its anchor along the seabed.
Speaking in Brussels, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that "no one believes these cables were severed by accident," and that he "does not want to believe in the theory that an anchor accidentally damaged these cables."
Defense correspondent for Denmark TV 2, Anders Lomholt, spoke with Vermund Sogaard-Sorensen, a former Navy commander. Here is his opinion: "To claim that this was an accident? Perhaps. However, there are never two coincidences in a single day."
Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen, a defense analyst, noted: "The fact is that the vessel suddenly came to a standstill, and in this case, it was over three cables. This is abnormal behavior for a commercial ship."