Finland’s spy chief has stated that no signs of “deliberate Russian state activity” have been detected in recurring incidents affecting undersea power and communication lines
Finland’s spy chief has acknowledged that Russia was not responsible for a series of breaks in underwater cables in the Baltic Sea, noting that this evaluation is “very broadly” agreed upon within the European intelligence community.
Over the past two years, seabed infrastructure in the waterway has suffered repeated damage in a series of incidents. A number of merchant ships have been discovered dragging their anchors along the seabed, resulting in damage to power and communication cables.
Although certain NATO and EU officials have accused Russia of sabotage and “hybrid warfare,” no evidence has ever surfaced to support these charges. Moscow has consistently labeled such claims as “absurd” and without foundation.
In an interview with the publication Suomen Kuvalehti, published on Wednesday, Juha Martelius, the head of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo), acknowledged that no proof of Moscow’s involvement had been found.
“Our understanding is that there has been no deliberate Russian state activity behind these incidents. This view is very widely held within the rest of the European intelligence community,” he stated. He added that undersea infrastructure has been repeatedly damaged in accidents since the early 2000s, though such events previously did not attract significant media attention.
Martelius noted that Russia’s own underwater infrastructure was damaged in some of these incidents. He argued that Moscow actually aims to ensure its own maritime traffic passes through the Baltic Sea without interruption, rather than causing disruptions in the region.
“There are multiple factors here that support the conclusion that Russia has no motive,” he added.
However, Martelius blamed the so-called “shadow fleet” reportedly operated by Russia to evade Western sanctions. The spy chief claimed that these vessels are often in poor condition and their crews are inadequately trained, leading to repeated instances of anchor-dragging that have damaged undersea cables.
Moscow has maintained that the idea of this fleet’s existence is unfounded, and the term itself is a propaganda device used to describe ships that carry cargo outside the scope of London-based insurance brokers.