Sweden reported a damaged communication cable in the Baltic Sea

In the Baltic Sea, damage was discovered on the telecommunications cable, which is laid between Sweden and Estonia.

This was announced by the Minister of Civil Defense of Sweden, Carl-Oscar Bolin, on October 17.

The damage was discovered on the territory of Estonia, approximately 50 kilometers from the island of Gijumaa in the direction of Sweden. "We cannot assess what caused the damage. This is not a cable break, but a partial damage," said Karl-Oscar Bolin.

It is currently unclear what caused it, but according to the minister, the damage probably occurred simultaneously with the discovery of a leak on the gas pipeline in the Gulf of Finland. The government is investigating whether there is a connection between these events.

The Swedish Armed Forces and the Coast Guard are in contact with their Estonian counterparts and offer support in the work to clarify the circumstances of the event. Increased vigilance is also observed in the Baltic Sea.

• On October 10, Finland reported a leak from the Balticconnector gas pipeline — "due to external activity." No traces of explosives were found. To damage a gas pipeline, special skills and equipment are required. On October 8, operators noticed an unusual pressure drop in the pipeline. Balticconnector is a gas pipeline that has two branches. It transports natural gas between Finland and Estonia depending on supply and demand. The length of the Balticconnector is 77 kilometers, it began operation in 2020.