Defense minister tells POLITICO that “Russia has [the] capability and willingness to do sabotage in Europe.”
Summary
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen has urged NATO and the EU to strengthen protections for critical infrastructure after undersea internet cables between Finland and Germany were damaged, suspected to be sabotage.
Häkkänen emphasized Russia’s known capacity and intent for such actions but also noted reports of a Chinese vessel in the area during the incident.
This follows a pattern of Baltic Sea infrastructure attacks, including pipeline and cable damage last year.
Häkkänen called these attacks on undersea infrastructure in international waters a growing challenge for Western nations.