Incident Follows String of Suspected Sabotage Against Critical Infrastructure
Following damage to the EstLink 2 undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia, the EU plans to impose sanctions on Russia's "shadow fleet" of tankers. Finnish authorities detained the Russian oil tanker Eagle S as part of the investigation into the cable's severance in the Gulf of Finland. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the incident as "deliberate destruction of Europe's critical infrastructure" and directly blamed Russia, claiming the suspected vessel is part of a fleet that "threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia’s war budget."
Kallas pledged to introduce sanctions targeting this fleet and stated the EU is working with Finnish authorities on the investigation. This incident follows other recent cable breaks in the region, including two data cables between Finland and Germany, and another between Lithuania and Sweden. These incidents, along with the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline damage, have raised concerns about deliberate attacks on critical infrastructure. While investigations are ongoing, suspicion has fallen on various actors, including Russia and potentially Ukraine, though no definitive conclusions have been reached.