The leader of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, expressed a firm belief that the damage to two submarine cables at the bottom of the Baltic Sea was not a random accident. In a radio interview with Cadena SER, he noted that he has suspicions, testimony, and information, yet nothing has been proven beyond doubt. He drew a clear distinction between this incident and the Nord Stream explosion, emphasizing that the Baltic case must be judged on its own facts and not equated with past incidents.
He warned that Europe must acknowledge how vulnerable critical infrastructure can be, suggesting that such disruptions could occur more often if protective measures are not strengthened. The EU’s top diplomat stressed the urgency of steps to shield the networks that everyday life depends on, arguing that resilience is no longer optional but essential for stability across member states.
On November 18, authorities confirmed that two underwater cables strung along the Baltic seabed were faulty. One was cut on Sunday, and the other on Monday, according to official updates. This sequence of faults heightened concerns about deliberate interference and the security of international communications and power links in the region.
Danish naval vessels subsequently stopped and examined the Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 as it approached the area of the damaged cables. German media outlet Bild reported that the ship’s captain was Russian and that the vessel had departed from the Russian port of Ust-Luga. The Lithuanian prosecutor’s office opened a terrorism-related inquiry into the cable damage, signaling a broad investigative approach and the seriousness with which authorities view the incident. (Attribution: Lithuanian prosecutor’s office)
Meanwhile, on November 20, there were reports from Finland that NATO would begin monitoring the Baltic Sea’s underwater infrastructure starting in December, a move described as a stabilizing step amid mounting uncertainty about the origins and potential motives of the damage. (Attribution: NATO communications)
In earlier reporting, observers noted that the United States and the European Union had not reached a consensus on who bore responsibility for the Baltic cable failures, reflecting broader tensions in transatlantic security coordination as investigations proceeded. (Attribution: Reuters)