https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/18/europe/undersea-cable-disrupted-germany-finland-intl/index.html CNN values your feedback 1. How relevant is this ad to you? ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) 2. Did you encounter any technical issues? [ ] Video player was slow to load content [ ] Video content never loaded [ ] Ad froze or did not finish loading [ ] Video content did not start after ad [ ] Audio on ad was too loud [ ] Other issues [ ] Ad never loaded [ ] Ad prevented/slowed the page from loading [ ] Content moved around while ad loaded [ ] Ad was repetitive to ads I've seen previously [ ] Other issues [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Cancel Submit Thank You! Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much appreciated. Close Ad Feedback World Africa Americas Asia Australia China Europe India Middle East United Kingdom More Africa Americas Asia Australia China Europe India Middle East United Kingdom Watch Listen Live TV Subscribe Sign in My Account * Settings * Topics You Follow * Sign Out Your CNN account Sign in to your CNN account --------------------------------------------------------------------- [ ] Sign in My Account * Settings * Topics You Follow * Sign Out Your CNN account Sign in to your CNN account --------------------------------------------------------------------- Live TV Listen Watch --------------------------------------------------------------------- Edition US International Arabic Espanol Edition * US * International * Arabic * Espanol --------------------------------------------------------------------- Africa Americas Asia Australia China Europe India Middle East United Kingdom Follow CNN * * * * * --------------------------------------------------------------------- * 2024 Elections * US + Crime + Justice * World + Africa + Americas + Asia + Australia + China + Europe + India + Middle East + United Kingdom * Politics + SCOTUS + Congress + Facts First + 2024 Elections * Business + Tech + Media + Calculators + Videos * Markets + Pre-markets + After-Hours + Fear & Greed + Investing + Markets Now + Nightcap * Health + Life, But Better + Fitness + Food + Sleep + Mindfulness + Relationships * Entertainment + Movies + Television + Celebrity * Tech + Innovate + Foreseeable Future + Mission: Ahead + Work Transformed + Innovative Cities * Style + Arts + Design + Fashion + Architecture + Luxury + Beauty + Video * Travel + Destinations + Food & Drink + Stay + Videos * Sports + Pro Football + College Football + Basketball + Baseball + Soccer + Olympics + Hockey * Watch + Live TV + CNN Headlines + CNN Shorts + Shows A-Z + CNN10 + CNN Max + CNN TV Schedules + FlashDocs * Listen + CNN 5 Things + Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta + The Assignment with Audie Cornish + One Thing + Tug of War + CNN Political Briefing + The Axe Files + All There Is with Anderson Cooper + All CNN Audio podcasts * CNN Underscored + Electronics + Fashion + Beauty + Health & Fitness + Home + Reviews + Deals + Money + Gifts + Travel + Outdoors + Pets + CNN Store * Science + Space + Life + Unearthed * Climate + Solutions + Weather * Weather + Video + Climate * Ukraine-Russia War * Israel-Hamas War * Black Friday Deals * About CNN + Subscribe + Photos + Investigations + CNN Profiles + CNN Leadership + CNN Newsletters + Work for CNN Ad Feedback World / Europe Two undersea cables in Baltic Sea disrupted, sparking warnings of possible 'hybrid warfare' Ivana Kottasova Paul P. Murphy By Ivana Kottasova, Billy Stockwell and Paul P. Murphy, CNN 4 minute read Updated 3:59 PM EST, Mon November 18, 2024 Link Copied! Follow: Russia See your latest updates CNN -- Two undersea internet cables in the Baltic Sea have been suddenly disrupted, according to local telecommunications companies, amid fresh warnings of possible Russian interference with global undersea infrastructure. A communications cable between Lithuania and Sweden was cut on Sunday morning around 10:00 a.m. local time, a spokesperson from telecommunications company Telia Lithuania confirmed to CNN.

The U.S. has detected an increase in Russian military activity around deep sea telecommunications cables, and believes the Kremlin could be directing operations to disable them. Jim Sciutto has details in an exclusive CNN investigation.

The U.S. has detected an increase in Russian military activity around deep sea telecommunications cables, and believes the Kremlin could be directing operations to disable them. Jim Sciutto has details in an exclusive CNN investigation. Clipped From Video video Related video Exclusive: U.S. concerned about possible Russian sabotage of undersea cables The company's monitoring systems could tell there was a cut due to the traffic disruption, and that the cause was likely physical damage to the cable itself, Telia Lithuania spokesperson Audrius Stasiulaitis told CNN. "We can confirm that the internet traffic disruption was not caused by equipment failure but by physical damage to the fiber optic cable." Another cable linking Finland and Germany was also disrupted, according to Cinia, the state-controlled Finnish company that runs the link. The C-Lion cable - the only direct connection of its kind between Finland and Central Europe - spans nearly 1,200 kilometers (730 miles), alongside other key pieces of infrastructure, including gas pipelines and power cables. The area that was disrupted along the Finnish-German cable is roughly 60 to 65 miles away from the Lithuanian-Swedish cable that was cut, a CNN analysis of the undersea routes shows. It is unclear what exactly caused the fault in the C-Lion cable - Cinia said in a statement that it is still investigating the issue. A physical inspection has not yet been conducted, Reuters reported citing the company's chief executive Ari-Jussi Knaapila, who told a press conference on Monday that the sudden outage implied that the cable was cut by an outside force. The foreign ministers of Finland and Germany said in a joint statement on Monday evening that they were "deeply concerned" about the severed C-Lion cable, and raised the possibility of "hybrid warfare." "The fact that such an incident immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage speaks volumes about the volatility of our times. A thorough investigation is underway," the statement said. "Our European security is not only under threat from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, but also from hybrid warfare by malicious actors." Fears of undersea sabotage The incidents come just weeks after the United States warned that it had detected increased Russian military activity around key undersea cables. Two US officials told CNN in September that the US believed Russia was now more likely to carry out potential sabotage operations on these critical pieces of infrastructure. The warning came after a joint investigation by the public broadcasters of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, which reported in April 2023 that Russia had a fleet of suspected spy ships operating in Nordic waters as part of a program of potential sabotage of underwater cables and wind farms in the region. The C-Lion submarine telecommunications cable being laid to the bottom of the Baltic Sea off the shore of Helsinki, Finland, on October 12, 2015. The C-Lion submarine telecommunications cable being laid to the bottom of the Baltic Sea off the shore of Helsinki, Finland, on October 12, 2015. Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva/AFP/Getty Images/FILE The extent of the disruption caused by Cinia's C-Lion fault revealed Monday is unclear. The most important data flows are usually routed through several different cables, to avoid overreliance on a single link. A repair vessel is ready to go to the site of the fault, Cinia said in a statement Monday evening. It said it did not know how long repairs would take, but added it typically takes between five and 15 days for submarine cables. Lithuanian state media was first to report the cut between Lithuania and Sweden, and quoted Telia Lithuania's chief technology officer Andrius Semeskevicius saying that the cable handled roughly a third of Lithuania's internet capacity. Capacity has been restored since the disruption. The cable is operated by Arelion, a Swedish telecommunications company. Martin Sjogren, a spokesperson for the company, confirmed the damage to the BCS East-West link and said that the company is in contact with Sweden's military and civil authorities about the incident. The cable had connected Gotland, Sweden and Sventoji, Lithuania, he said. The issue was detected on Sunday during routine 24/7 monitoring of the company's network, and the cable is expected to be repaired over the next few weeks, depending on weather conditions, he added. Cinia did not immediately respond to CNN's request for further details. CNN has reached out to the Swedish and Lithuanian foreign ministries for comment. This is a developing story and will be updated. CNN's Jim Sciutto contributed reporting. 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