Cable between Estonia, Sweden damaged by 'external force or tampering'
Damage to an undersea cable between Estonia and Sweden was caused by "means of external force or tampering", Stockholm confirmed on Monday (October 23).
The Swedish Ministry of Defense said in a statement: "It has been confirmed that the cable has been damaged through external force or tampering. The damage did not effect the function of the cable. The damage occurred within the Estonian economic zone."
A fault on the telecommunications cable running between the countries was first noticed on October 7.
The incident occurred around the same time as two other incidents in the Gulf of Finland involving the Balticconnector gas pipeline and a communications cable owned by Finnish company Elisa on October 8.
Last week Finland's National Bureau of Investigation said the pipeline "damage has been caused by an external mechanical force".
Estonia's State Prosecutor's Office came to a similar conclusion about the damage to Elisa's power line and the government was briefed on Thursday.
Investigations are ongoing.
NATO has strengthened its presence in the region by deploying a minesweeping vessel and increased air surveillance.
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Editor: Helen Wright
