The recent attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea could be an attempt to compromise the synchronization of the Baltic States’ electricity grids with continental Europe this February, Lithuanian Energy Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas said on Tuesday, commenting on information from Swedish media about attempts to damage the Lithuanian-Swedish underwater electricity cable NordBalt.
“Naturally, such attempts to damage the infrastructure are part of the bigger picture. Clearly, we are in a hybrid war and such infrastructure is being damaged for a reason. They have a very clear purpose. One of the goals could be to compromise the synchronization of the Baltic States with continental Europe, thus showing that the Baltic States are vulnerable in terms of energy,” he told LRT broadcaster, stressing that these incidents will not impact the planned synchronisation.
“We will execute these plans. We’re ready, and we’re also preparing for potential threats,” the minister assured.
According to him, “all forces have been mobilised” to protect the critical infrastructure of the Baltic Sea on both the Lithuanian and Swedish sides, and NATO has also stepped up its protection since Friday.
“Every effort is made to protect such infrastructure and be prepared to restore it if necessary,” said the Lithuanian minister.
Vaičiūnas said that the implementation of previously planned technical measures is now being accelerated to immediately detect any attempts to damage the NordBalt infrastructure.
He claims that the attempts to damage NordBalt have not impacted the supply of electricity to Lithuania.
On Sunday, the 12th of January, Swedish SVT reported that anchor-dragging marks had been found on the NordBalt cable in the Baltic Sea.
Swedish Defence Minister Karl Oscar Bolin said the damage may have been caused by the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3, which threw out the anchor on the17th or 18th of November. Telecommunications cables connecting Sweden and Lithuania, as well as Germany and Finland, were damaged in Swedish territorial waters.
EstLink 2 cable connecting Estonia and Finland and four more communication cables in the Gulf of Finland were damaged in the Baltic Sea last Christmas.
The tanker “Eagle S” sailing under the flag of the Cook Islands is suspected of damaging EstLink 2 and four other cables. This vessel is part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet that is used to circumvent sanctions.
Such ships are usually obsolete with a suspicious ownership structure and without proper insurance.
Experts and politicians associate such incidents that have occurred repeatedly in the Baltic Sea in recent years with Russia’s hybrid war against Western countries.