The outage left only the Estlink 1 cable in operation, reducing the electricity flow to Estonia by almost two-thirds. The rupture had little impact on services due to reserve capacities.
However, it sparked fears energy prices would rise while the cable remains offline β potentially for months. The following day, Finnish officials boarded and detained the Eagle S, a Cook Islands-flagged tanker they said was carrying oil from Russia to Turkey.
It had passed over the cable, apparently dragging its anchor, Finnish officials said. He acknowledged, though, that some believe what happened to have been accidental. But it was to be the most consequential.
NATO, already tracking incidents of suspected cable-cutting, responded. Within three weeks, the alliance had put a coordinated group of warships to sea specifically to deter such suspected attacks. It is an open skepticism already shared by many in Baltic Sentry. Russia has denied allegations of involvement in underwater cable sabotage. Repairs can be costly, and damage can take months to fix. Even small outages could deny tens of thousands access to their favorite shows and movies, and impact online shopping and home deliveries.
GPS jamming is nothing new β for months, it has impeded civilian aircraft landings in the region. Niels Markussen, told CNN last week. But with the speed and muscle of this new operation comes danger, Markussen says.
