Probably not sabotage: Data cable damaged in two places in Finland
Another important Internet cable has been damaged in the Baltic Sea region, but this time on land. At least one excavator was probably responsible.
(Image: panumas nikhomkhai/Shutterstock.com)
Damage to an internet connection between Sweden and Finland caused widespread network problems in Finland on Monday evening. This was reported by the public broadcaster Yle. However, unlike the cable damage in the Baltic Sea two weeks ago, no sabotage is suspected in this case: "Contrary to media reports, the Finnish police have not launched a criminal investigation," the broadcaster quotes. At the same time, however, they are trying to find out the cause. The network operator Elisa has since stated that an excavator is responsible for the damage.
"We are taking the situation seriously."
According to the report, the cable between the cities of Turku and Helsinki was damaged in two places near the Finnish capital. According to the report, locations near the city of Vihti and Espoo, both northwest of Helsinki, are affected. Yle quotes an Elisa manager as saying that the damage at Vihti was caused by construction work: "It looks like a normal accident to us." However, Jaakko Wallenius, who is responsible for safety at Elisa, has no information about the damage in Espoo. Finland's Communications Minister Lulu Ranne told X: "We are taking the situation seriously."
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The cable damage is currently attracting a lot of attention, not only in Finland, especially in light of two incidents in the Baltic Sea. Two weeks ago, two data cables were damaged on the seabed within a very short space of time. One connects Finland with Germany, the second Sweden with Lithuania. Both have already been repaired, but it is suspected that a Chinese ship deliberately caused the damage. In a debate in the EU Parliament, there was little doubt that it was an act of sabotage, with Russia as the mastermind.
(mho)
