Sweden seizes ship suspected of cable 'sabotage'

We will do everything in our power to make sure that we fight back, that we are able to see what is happening and then take the next steps to make sure that it doesn't happen again. And our adversaries should know this."

He added, as he unveiled the "Baltic Sentry" mission

If we witness some suspicious activities from ships at sea—for example, ships at very low speed or anchoring in positions that they shouldn't be—this is something we can see."

He said

We express solidarity with the affected EU partners. An increased NATO presence in the Baltic Sea is critical to countering such threats,

he added

We can confirm that persons from Swedish authorities have been on board the vessel to carry out investigative measures,

Wikstrom said

I hope that the investigators will quickly establish that this is not a matter of any intentional action, but a technical incident due to bad weather, and that the ship will be released,

Kalchev added

The case is primarily being handled by [intelligence agency] Sapo, and I am in charge of the preliminary investigation. We are also receiving excellent assistance from the Swedish coastguard, the Swedish police's National Operations Department as well as the military,

he said

We are taking this as it is, and we know that these vessels, when we talk about the shadow fleet, are a threat, not only from the security point of view, but first and foremost, from the environmental point of view,

Pevkur said

A lot of the ships that we found are acting strangely originate in a Russian port or (are) going to a Russian port,

said Commodore Arjen S. Warnaar, who leads Standing NATO Maritime Group One

We have to stick to the rules and also to the legislation, because this is exactly what Putin wants to see,

he says, referring to the need to build a watertight case to avoid Russia exploiting any doubts or loopholes

We have this picture of the undersea infrastructure, we compare that with the picture of the surface,

he explained

Evika Siliņaprime Minister

We are working together with our Swedish Allies and NATO on investigating the incident, including to patrolling the area, as well as inspecting the vessels that were in the area,

Siliņa said

Evika Siliņaprime Minister

Authorities have intensified information exchange and started a criminal investigation."

Siliņa said in a statement posted to X

Within the framework of the preliminary investigation, a number of measures have been taken, including the seizure of a ship suspected of having carried out the sabotage."

Sweden's security service in a statement

Based on current findings, it is presumed that the cable is significantly damaged due to external factors. LVRTC has initiated criminal procedural actions,

the company said in a statement

We are now carrying out a number of concrete investigative measures, but I cannot go into what they consist of due to the ongoing preliminary investigation,

senior prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a statement

Margus Tsahknaforeign minister

I don’t believe in coincidences when it comes to frequent cases of damage to underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea,

Estonia’s foreign minister Margus Tsahkna said in a post on social media X after the latest cable rupture

That’s not very strong wind. It’s well below the 14 metres per second that is the threshold for a gale warning,

the spokesperson told Reuters, adding

They (the crew) have been instructed to assist authorities and the situation never escalated and it is calm at the moment,

he told Reuters, adding

At the moment, there is reason to believe that the cable is significantly damaged and that the damage is caused by external influences,

Vineta Sprugaine, head of corporate communications at LVRTC, was quoted as saying by the LSM state broadcaster

We are directly on site with the seized ship and are taking measures as decided by the prosecutor,

said Mattias Lindholm, spokesperson for the Coast Guard