par Business AM
published on Saturday December 28, 2024 has 12:45 •
3 min read
Key information
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has pledged to support Finland’s investigation into the potential sabotage of an undersea power cable.
- He underlined NATO’s desire to strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea region following this incident.
- The Estlink 2 interconnector was disrupted on Wednesday and sabotage remains possible while the investigation continues.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has pledged full support to Finland’s investigation into the potential sabotage of an underwater power cable linking Finland and Estonia . Mr Rutte underlined NATO’s desire to strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea region following this incident.
He expressed his solidarity and support in telephone conversations with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal. Mr. Rutte reaffirmed NATO’s position against any attacks targeting critical infrastructure and expressed his unwavering solidarity with its allies.
The investigation continues
The Estlink 2 interconnection, responsible for transmitting electricity between Finland and Estonia, suffered a disruption on Wednesday. Fingrid, Finland’s electricity grid operator, said the cable went out of service around 12:26 p.m. local time. Arto Pahkin, Fingrid’s operations director, told public broadcaster Yle that the possibility of sabotage remained a possibility as the investigation continued.
Finnish authorities have confirmed that they are actively investigating the break of the Estlink 2 electricity transmission cable in Finland’s exclusive economic zone in the Gulf of Finland. A tactical operation was carried out on a ship by Finnish police and border guards, alongside investigative measures taken. The Baltic Sea has seen a series of high-profile incidents involving critical infrastructure since Russia’s war in Ukraine began in February 2022, leading to an escalation of tensions in the region.
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