Independent local news outlet Moscow Times reports the cable was damaged over the weekend, though Rostelecom claims it did not impact customers.
Repair work is underway, with the Finnish Coast Guard confirming it is monitoring Russian ships working to fix the damaged subsea cable.
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Under Finland’s Exclusive Economic Zone regulation, Russian vessels may enter Finland’s EEZ to conduct necessary maintenance on their own subsea cables, provided they follow Finnish regulations and inform the relevant authorities.
Suomenlahden merivartiosto valvoo talousvyöhykelain ja talousvyöhykkeen hyödyntämisen ehtojen toteutumista Suomenlahdella, jossa on käynnissä rikkoontuneen venäläisen kaapelin korjaustyö venäläisen aluksen toimesta. pic.twitter.com/ss2k0boq1H
— Merivartiosto - SLMV (@Merivartiosto) February 8, 2025
Damage to Rostelecom’s cable is the latest in a recent spate of incidents in the Baltics which has heightened tensions among European and NATO nations over possible deliberate damage.
Fears, though unfounded, emerged that the earlier cuts were attributed to Russia, leading to European nations becoming more aware of the fragility of subsea resilience following the damage incurred last November.
The most recent incident, which involved a cable that ran from Latvia to a Swedish island, was found to have been damaged by accident.
Just last week, the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, called on European allies to enhance cooperation on subsea cable security against potential state threats and sabotage.
In addition to the cable break, the Finnish Coast Guard is also monitoring a potential oil spill from the tanker Koala, though the agency said Russian authorities claimed there was no oil spill.
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