The Swedish authorities said on Friday that they were investigating a new cable break in the Baltic Sea, the latest example of damage to underwater infrastructure in the region..
The Swedish Coast Guard said that it had been informed of the cable break on Thursday and was en route to the area, off the eastern island of Gotland, according to Mattias Lindholm, a spokesman for the service.
He said that he did not know what kind of cable had been damaged but that it was not Swedish. He directed questions about the fallout to Finland or Germany.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden said on Friday that his government took “all reports of possible damage to infrastructure in the Baltic Sea very seriously.” Such reports, he said, had to be seen in light of the “serious security situation that prevails.”
The severing of several undersea cables in the Baltic Sea in recent months has raised concerns that Russia is using the moves to retaliate against NATO countries that have supported Ukraine. Alliance officials have pointed to Russia as a possible culprit, but have said that it is difficult to gather definitive proof.
In January, the alliance stepped up its military presence in the area with a new patrol and surveillance operation, called Baltic Sentry, aimed at protecting infrastructure in the sea. Swedish officials said that month that they were investigating what they described as “gross sabotage” after an undersea communications cable was damaged.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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