Quotes
We are following investigations by Estonia and Finland, and we stand ready to provide further support,
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a post on social media X
We commend the Finnish authorities for their swift action in boarding the suspected vessel,
said a joint statement from EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and the European Commission, the bloc's executive body
This is one of the versions we are considering. Because two vessels are in the area where the cables are located,
he said
From our side we are investigating grave sabotage. According to our understanding, an anchor of the vessel that is under investigation has caused the damage.”
The director of the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, Robin Lardot, said
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We must be able to prevent the risks posed by ships belonging to the Russian shadow fleet.”
On Thursday, the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, said on XWe must understand that damage to submarine infrastructure has become more systematic and thus must be regarded as attacks against our vital structures,
he saidWe strongly condemn any deliberate destruction of Europe's critical infrastructure,
the European Commission and the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a joint statement
The suspected vessel is part of Russia's shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia's war budget,
they addedThe possibility of vandalism cannot be ruled out
Pahkin said
The assumption at the moment is that it is a shadow fleet vessel and the cargo was unleaded petrol loaded in a Russian port,
said Sami Rakshit, director general of Finnish Customs
Our patrol vessel travelled to the area and could determine visually that the vessel's anchor was missing,
Markku Hassinen of the Finnish Border Guard told a news conferenceWe have already boarded the vessel, spoken with the crew and gathered evidence,
Lardot said
The damages to critical underwater infrastructure have become so frequent that it's hard to believe they are accidents or just bad maritime manoeuvres."
But Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna saidSo there is a clear reason to suspect something strange happened,
he saidThis is why the decisive and determined action by our authorities today and yesterday with regards to this ship in our territorial waters sends a strong message to other ships: We will intervene,
he saidOur armed forces have strengthened surveillance and are monitoring the situation, ... The Baltic states currently have sufficient energy production capacity, although we are challenged by the Baltic Sea cable incidents.”
she said on X