Theories that Russia is behind the repeated cable damage in the Baltic Sea can be dismissed, That’s according to the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo)—despite media reports that ships from Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” have deliberately anchored on the seabed to sabotage undersea cables.
Supo revealed that the cable damage is primarily due to the fact that the Baltic Sea is heavily trafficked by ships from Russia’s shadow fleet, which are used to circumvent Western sanctions. These ships are often in poor condition and manned by crews from other countries who have inadequate training.
The Baltic Sea remains strategically important for Russia, as oil exports finance the country’s economy and the war in Ukraine. Disruptions to this tanker traffic would go against the country’s own interests, according to the Finnish security service.
Last week Sweden detained the captain of the Sea Owl One, whose Comoros Islands registration documents did not convince local authorities that his ship was not actually part of Moscow’s sanctions-busting operation.
