Baltic Sea sabotage: Sweden blames China for hampering investigation

Swedish investigators have stated that they found no definitive proof of Chinese involvement in the severing of two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea.

While local police were unable to confirm deliberate sabotage, the Swedish Accident Investigation Board noted that cooperation from Chinese officials was limited and did not make the investigation easier.

The damaged cables, critical for communication infrastructure in the region, had raised serious concerns over potential sabotage in the increasingly tense Baltic Sea.

The Baltic is a strategically significant zone for both NATO and Russia, which maintains access to the sea through its Kaliningrad enclave, located between Poland and Lithuania.

The Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 reportedly dragged its anchor for approximately 330 kilometers in November 2024, damaging multiple undersea cables along the way.

Although the ship was operating in international waters, the investigation was led by Chinese authorities. Swedish investigators were only granted access to the vessel after a month and were denied entry to the ship’s black box and other electronic systems.

(QG - Source: Newsweek - Picture : © Unsplash)