Baltic countries on alert after series of suspicious undersea cable outages

Finland recently seized the ship Fitburg, suspected of damaging underwater communications cables between Estonia and Finland. The Fitburg, traveling from St Petersburg to Haifa, had a diverse crew. Estonia also reported faults on other cables linked to Sweden and Hiiumaa.

Baltic militaries, supported by NATO, are on high alert due to recent damage incidents attributed to potential Russian sabotage amid concerns over hybrid warfare. Some officials suggest poor seamanship and weather, but others argue the frequency of cable damage points to deliberate actions.

Finland's swift response served as a deterrent to Russia, but prosecuting sabotage remains challenging due to jurisdiction issues.