Communication cables in the Baltic Sea have gone out of service.

Two underwater communication cables in the Baltic Sea have gone out of service, and at least one of them appears to have been intentionally cut. It has been confirmed that a cable connecting Lithuania and Sweden was severed on Sunday morning, according to a local telecommunications company. A second cable, located about 60 to 65 miles away, handles communications between Finland and Germany. Although the cause of this second disruption has not yet been determined, authorities suspect it may be a case of "intentional damage."

These interruptions come after a warning issued by the United States in September about an increased risk of "sabotage" of underwater cables by Russia. This alert followed a joint investigation by public broadcasters in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland that revealed Russia had deployed a fleet of spy ships in Nordic waters, allegedly as part of a program aimed at sabotaging these cables and wind farms.

Despite these incidents, European countries still maintain online communication channels, as data is often redirected through multiple cables to avoid reliance on a single one. Cinia, the Finnish state-owned company responsible for overseeing the second cable, has indicated that the cause of the cut has not yet been determined because a physical inspection has not been conducted. However, the sudden nature of the outage suggests it may have also been caused by an external force.

The foreign ministers of Finland and Germany issued a joint statement on Monday, expressing their deep concern over the severed underwater cable connecting both countries in the Baltic Sea. They noted that the fact that such an incident raises suspicions of intentional damage highlights the volatility of the current times. Additionally, they emphasized that a thorough investigation is underway. They stated that European security is threatened not only by Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine but also by the hybrid warfare of malicious actors. Therefore, they underscored the importance of safeguarding shared critical infrastructure to ensure the security and resilience of societies.

The cable between Lithuania and Sweden, which handles approximately one-third of Lithuania's internet capacity, is expected to be repaired "in the coming weeks," although weather conditions may affect the exact timing of the repair.