An unexplained fault in the undersea telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Germany has disrupted communication services, the company managing the connection announced on Monday.
The C-Lion1 cable, which links Helsinki with Rostock, Germany, was built and is operated by Cinia, a Finnish state-controlled company.
Spanning nearly 1.200 kilometers, the cable serves as the only direct connection of its kind between Finland and Central Europe. It runs alongside other critical infrastructure, including gas pipelines and energy cables.
The cause of the fault remains unclear – Cinia stated in a release that it is still investigating the issue. However, the fault comes just weeks after the United States (U.S.) warned of increased Russian military activity near vital undersea cables. In September, two U.S. officials said the U.S. believes it is now more likely that Russia could conduct potential sabotage operations targeting these critical infrastructure components.
The warning followed a joint investigation by public broadcasters in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. In April 2023, they reported that Russia has a fleet of suspected spy ships operating in Nordic waters as part of a program potentially aimed at sabotaging undersea cables and wind farms in the region.
The extent of disruptions caused by the fault discovered on Monday remains unclear. Key data flows are typically routed through several cables to avoid over-reliance on a single connection.
Cinia has not yet responded to requests for further details.
Photo: Freeimage
