STOCKHOLM, Sweden – The Swedish navy is making progress in the investigation of the suspected sabotage of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. Specialist Swedish underwater search crews are gathering evidence at the site of the damaged Finnish-German cable, one of two undersea fiber-optic cables affected by the incident. The damage to the cables occurred near Sweden and Lithuania, prompting naval officials to classify information for the Swedish police and prosecutor.

Denmark, meanwhile, has reported shadowing a Chinese cargo ship, the Yi Peng 3, anchored in the Baltic between Sweden and Denmark. The Danish Defense command confirmed their presence near the Chinese vessel but provided no further comments. Tracking data from Vesselfinder showed the cargo ship’s recent port visits, including one in Ust-Luga, Russia, prior to its anchoring in the Baltic Sea.

The Russian maritime pilot who guided the Yi Peng 3 out of the Ust-Luga port described the vessel as a standard bulk carrier with a crew of Chinese nationals. The ship’s activities have come under scrutiny as investigators in Sweden and Finland jointly explore the potential involvement of the Chinese vessel in the cable sabotage incidents.

Sweden’s navy has deployed unmanned submarines to investigate the cable damage sites, located at different depths. The Swedish government, however, has remained tight-lipped about any possible role of the Chinese ship in the incidents. This comes on the heels of a similar incident last year involving another Chinese vessel damaging a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia.

Officials from various countries, including Sweden, Denmark, and Germany, have expressed concerns over the incidents, with suspicions of sabotage looming large. The Finnish security intelligence service has noted that submarine cable breakages are quite common globally, often attributed to human activities like fishing or anchoring.

As the investigation unfolds, questions remain about the extent of the damage, the motives behind the sabotage, and the potential geopolitical implications of the incidents in the Baltic Sea. With tensions rising and suspicions stirring, authorities are under pressure to uncover the truth behind the undersea cable attacks.