A Chinese ship is suspected of severing two critical internet cables in the Baltic Sea in an act of sabotage that may have been orchestrated by Russia.

In the most recent case, two undersea fibre-optic communications cables located more than 100 nautical miles (about 200 km) apart in the Baltic Sea bottom were severed subsequently on Nov. 17 and 18, raising suspicions of sabotage by bad actors.

A Chinese ship that sailed over two severed data cables in the Baltic Sea around the time they were cut has been stopped by the Danish navy as part of an international investigation into what police say is a possible act of sabotage.

Sweden has sent a formal request to China to cooperate with an investigation into suspected sabotage over the sudden disruption of two submarine internet cables in the Baltic Sea earlier this month, after tracking data linked a Chinese ship to the incidents.

Swedish investigators are looking into the movements of a Chinese vessel in the Baltic Sea after two internet cables were severed in what some Western leaders suspect was an act of sabotage.

The Baltic Sea region has seen several cases of suspicious damage against underwater critical infrastructure since 2022, but authorities have been unable to find sufficient proof of deliberate malicious intent to press charges.

German warship FGS Weilheim and other warships of NATO allies are docked during NATO exercise Freezing Winds 24, led by the Finnish Navy, in the Baltic Sea in Turku, Finland, November 20, 2024. REUTERS/Anne Kauranen TURKU,

STORY: Hours after two communication cables were severed in the Baltic Sea, one of northern Europe’s largest ever naval exercises got underway. 30 NATO vessels and 4,000 military staff took to the water for the 12-day 'Freezing Winds' drill.

The Baltic Sea, a hub for maritime trade and critical infrastructure, has become a growing point of concern. Recent incidents, such as damaged undersea cables and rising tensions, have brought its security into focus.