Kaja Kallas: Sabotage is on the rise in Europe
It is difficult to view the increased attacks on underwater cables in the Baltic Sea as a coincidence, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas told ERR. The EU is considering sanctions against Russia's shadow fleet.
At 12.26 p.m. on Christmas Day (December 25) damage to the EstLink 2 cable between Finland and Estonia was reported. In total, four cables are reportedly our of operation, three between Finland and Estonia, and one connecting Finland and Germany.
Kallas and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a joint statement on Thursday condemning the "deliberate destruction of Europe's critical infrastructure".
"The suspected vessel is part of Russia's shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia's war budget. We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet," they wrote. "We stand in full solidarity with Finland, Estonia, and Germany."
Kallas, Estonia's former prime minister, also told ERR it is hard to view the recent spate of incidents as coincidences.
"Sabotage is on the rise in Europe, and we have seen a variety of attacks: arson, cyber-attacks and election meddling. The timing and precision of the current EstLink 2 and data cable breaches suggest a rather coordinated effort," she said.
"Putting these events in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine, we see that these sabotage attempts against critical undersea infrastructure are more than isolated incidents - they are a deliberate attempt to capture our digital and energy infrastructure. But of course, this does not deter us from supporting Ukraine."
Prime Minister Kristen Michal thanked the pair for their support and welcomed efforts to combat future incidents. "Consistent attacks against the underwater infrastructure between the EU members needs a joint and decisive response," he wrote on social media.
Today (December 26), Finland detained a Russian "shadow fleet" vessel suspected of causing the breakages.
This is the latest in a series of incidents in the Baltic Sea which has resulted damage to cables or pipelines. In November, cables between Finland and Germany as well as Sweden and Lithuania were broken.
Russia uses its shadow fleet to circumvent sanctions introduced after it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The vessels are often old and lacking proper insurance.
Earlier this month, 12 countries, including Estonia, agreed to "disrupt and deter" shadow fleet vessels.
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Editor: Merili Nael, Helen Wright
Source: Aktuaalne kaamera
