The Swedish police said today that they are investigating a possible case of sabotage of an undersea telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea and the country’s coast guard has sent a vessel to the area where various cables on the seabed have been damaged in recent months.

The Baltic Sea region is on alert and the NATO alliance has stepped up its presence after a series of energy and telecoms cable cuts and gas pipeline damage after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Most of those were caused by merchant ships dragging their anchors.

Finnish telecoms provider Cinia said today it had detected minor damage to its C-Lion1 undersea fibre-optic cable connecting Finland to Germany but the cable’s functionality has not been affected.

Swedish police are investigating the matter because it took place in Sweden’s economic zone, police spokesman Matia Rutegard said.

“The preliminary investigation is related to possible sabotage, Rutegard said. It is the third time in recent months that Cinia’s C-Lion1 cable has been damaged, following its destruction in November and December.

The Swedish coastguard said it had sent a vessel to assist the investigation into the incident off Gotland Island.

The Swedish prosecutor’s office said it has not been involved in the cable investigation.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson said the government is being kept informed and that any damage to undersea infrastructure is of particular concern in the context of the current security situation.