Undersea cable connecting Finland and Germany damaged, raising the possibility of sabotage by unknown parties, but the cause is unknown
On November 18, 2024, the communications company Cinia announced that the approximately 1,200 km submarine cable connecting Helsinki, Finland and Rostock, Germany had been cut. In response, the Finnish and German governments jointly stated that 'a thorough investigation is underway.'
A fault in the Cinia C-Lion1 submarine cable between Finland and Germany
Undersea cable between Lithuania and Sweden damaged – Telia - LRT
Joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of Finland and Germany on the severed undersea cable in the Baltic Sea - Federal Foreign Office
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/newsroom/news/-/2685132
Two undersea cables in Baltic Sea cut, Germany and Finland fear sabotage | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/telecoms-cable-linking-finland-germany-likely-severed-owner-says-2024-11-18/
Germany and Finland investigate a severed data cable through the Baltic Sea | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/finland-germany-data-communications-cable-9b231aa47501545690a26a442fe106a5
Two Baltic Subsea Cables Likely Severed by 'Outside Forces'
https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/two-baltic-subsea-cables-likely-severed-by-outside-forces
On November 18, 2024, Finland's state-owned data service provider Cinia announced that the approximately 1,200 km submarine cable ' C-Lion1 ' connecting Helsinki to Rostock had been cut. According to Finland's public broadcaster YLE, C-Lion1, which began service in 2016, is the only data communications cable in Finland that runs directly from Nordic countries to Central Europe, connecting the Central European communications network to Finland and other Nordic countries.
/1. Immediately two communication cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea. First one between Finland and Germany. Second between Sweden and Lithuania.
— ????Special Kherson Cat???????????? ( @specialkhersoncat.bsky.social ) November 19, 2024 5:21
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Cinia has revealed that the service provided by C-Lion1 has been down due to the cable cut. It also reports that Finland's international data communications connections are protected by transmission over multiple redundant lines, and the impact of a single cable failure depends on the resilience of the service provider's connection.
The 218km undersea cable connecting Lithuania with the Swedish island of Gotland was also down, causing internet outages, according to Lithuanian data service provider Telia Lietuva , who said that due to the nature of the outage, the internet outage was caused by physical damage to the undersea cable.
In the Baltic Sea, where C-Lion1 is located, there have been pipeline explosions and gas leaks , as well as damage to undersea cables, which have been pointed out as possible Russian sabotage.
Norwegian police release images of damaged and salvaged undersea cables, Russian trawlers suspected of involvement but lack of evidence - GIGAZINE
It has been pointed out that the damage to C-Lion1 may also have been an act of sabotage by malicious actors, and the Finnish and German foreign ministries jointly issued a statement saying, 'The fact that damage to a cable, such as this one, immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage, illustrates the instability of our times. Our European countries are under threat from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and from hybrid warfare by malicious actors. We are conducting a thorough investigation into the cable cut. Protecting the critical infrastructure we share is essential for our security.'
Meanwhile, Samuli Bergström, director of the Finnish National Cyber Security Centre, said: 'Submarine cables are constantly exposed to all kinds of weather conditions and ship influences. Submarine cables are continually subjected to various maintenance activities, but it is possible that this cable cut was accidental.'
'The damage to the cable occurred near the southern tip of the island of Åland in Sweden. We are investigating the details of the fault and are preparing to send a repair ship out. Repairing the cable could take five to 15 days,' Cinia CEO Ali-Jussi Kunaapila told reporters.
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