EU to invest in new cables and step up countering Russia’s "shadow fleet," Kallas says
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the EU will strengthen protection of its critical infrastructure and counter Russia’s "shadow fleet."
Kallas wrote this on X after a telecommunications cable was damaged in the Gulf of Finland, Censor.NET reports.
EU reaction
She said that since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, there has been a "clear trend" in the Baltic Sea of disruptions to Europe’s critical infrastructure, with a high risk of sabotage emerging.
Kallas thanked Finland for swift and decisive action in detaining the ship and its crew, who are suspected of damaging underwater cables yesterday.
Europe remains vigilant and is keeping close contact with Finland and Estonia, the EU diplomat said.
"The EU will continue to strengthen its critical infrastructure, including by investing in new cables, increasing monitoring, ensuring greater repair capacity, and countering Moscow’s ‘shadow fleet,’ which also serves as a platform for hybrid attacks," Kallas added.
Background
- Elisa Oyj said that one of the undersea telecommunications cables linking Finland and Estonia was damaged in the Gulf of Finland.
- Finnish authorities detained the ship Fitburg, which was sailing from the Russian port of St. Petersburg to Israel and whose crew includes citizens of Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. Finnish police have already questioned the cargo vessel’s crew.
