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2025-01-14 Europe
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International underwater cable attacks by Russia, China are no ‘mere coincidence' warns EU's top diplomat
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[FoxNews] NATO responds to underwater cable threat in Baltic with ships, drones, AI under new joint security plan
Attacks on underwater cables running through strategically significant bodies of water in both the Baltic Sea and the South China Sea by Russia and China, respectively, in recent months has top officials concerned they are not "mere coincidence."
Maritime sabotage efforts in both regions of the world appear to have been on the rise over the last several years, with a notable spike in recent months after at least three separate attacks occurred in as many months, beginning in November, and the top suspects are Russia and China.
"The Kremlin has been running a hybrid campaign against Europe for years, ranging from spreading disinformation and cyberattacks to weaponizing energy supplies. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, these efforts have intensified dramatically," EU High Representative Kaja Kallas told Fox News Digital. "However, Russia is not the only challenge we face."
In November, two cables under the Baltic Sea were severed, and a Chinese-flagged commercial ship dubbed the Yi Peng 3 was stopped by Danish naval forces and made to anchor at sea while international authorities began investigating the incident.
The Chinese ship, which is reported to have left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on Nov. 15, was discovered to have dragged its anchor for over 100 miles along the Baltic seabed, cutting an undersea cable that connected Sweden and Lithuania on Nov. 17 as well as the only communication cable connecting Finland with Germany on the 18th.
The incident rang eerily similar to an October 2023 event in which a Chinese ship dubbed the NewNew Polar Bear, was found to have dragged anchor, again, over 100 miles in the Gulf of Finland and damaged the Balticconnector gas pipeline as well as two telecommunications cables between Sweden and Estonia.
While Beijing has denied any intentional wrongdoing in either incident, targeting international undersea cables is not a new tactic for China to employ.
Taiwan last week began investigating whether a China-linked ship was responsible for intentionally damaging one of its cables that connect the island with the internet, and Taipei has taken steps to increase its low-orbit satellite network in a move to circumvent future attempts by Beijing to cut it off from the international community by targeting its fiber-optic cables.
But the tactics China has long employed against Taiwan are now being optimized in the Baltic Sea. The U.S. Defense Department has been warning of China's plans to invade and annex the neighboring island nation by 2027.
| That seems awfully targetted… |
"Chinese vessels have now been implicated in the recent damage to Baltic Sea cables, something we have seen in [the] Taiwan strait for years," the EU’s top diplomat told Fox News Digital. "Considering China’s vast support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, it is difficult to view these incidents as mere coincidences.
"China is closely monitoring our response to Russia’s war. The U.S. must be strong on Russia to prevent trouble with China," Kallas warned. "Supporting Ukraine today helps keep American forces out of future conflicts."
But China isn’t the only country suspected of sabotaging international undersea cables.
A vessel accused of being tied to Russia has been seized by Finland, which is investigating a suspected attack that damaged four telecommunications and the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power cables on Christmas Day by, again, dragging its anchor across the seabed.
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Posted by Skidmark 2025-01-14 09:48||
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Posted by Skidmark 2025-01-14 11:31||
2025-01-14 11:31||
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Posted by Albert Lumplump3086 2025-01-14 11:37||
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Posted by Abu Uluque 2025-01-14 12:11||
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