When it comes to international sabotage, the Baltic Sea is starting to look less like a “NATO Lake” and more like a Cold War thriller.
This time, the target wasn’t oil or gas pipelines but critical undersea telecom cables—specifically, the C-Lion 1 cable connecting Finland and Germany and another link between Sweden and Lithuania. And surprise, surprise, a Chinese vessel with alleged Russian connections is at the center of the investigation. You can almost hear Beijing and Moscow chorusing, “Who, us?”
The Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 conveniently sailed near both cables right before they were mysteriously severed. According to maritime tracking, the ship—possibly helmed by a Russian captain—caught the attention of the Danish Navy, which promptly detained it. Now it’s parked just outside Danish territory, guarded by Danish patrol ships, because nothing screams “suspicious” like lurking near NATO’s undersea arteries and playing innocent.
Two critical undersea fibre optic #cables in the #BalticSea—linking Sweden to Lithuania and Finland to Germany—were severed on November 17th and 18th, raising serious security concerns. The Chinese-flagged bulk carrier YI PENG 3 is suspended for its potential involvement.… pic.twitter.com/XRikzko8Pw
— MarineTraffic (@MarineTraffic) November 20, 2024
The timing is more than a little suspect. Moscow has been throwing tantrums ever since Finland and Sweden moved closer to NATO, and the Kremlin has been flexing its hybrid warfare muscles across the region. This comes on the heels of Russia’s intelligence ship Yantar skulking near Norway’s critical seabed infrastructure, prompting concerns about other undersea mischief.
While Moscow blames the U.S. and U.K. for previous pipeline sabotage (because why not blame NATO for everything?), it’s hard to ignore the irony: Russia’s denials often sound like a bad cover story for their own schemes.
China’s involvement adds a fresh twist to the geopolitical drama. Finland has urged caution, citing a similar incident last year when another Chinese vessel damaged a Baltic gas pipeline. But let’s not kid ourselves—China and Russia are practically BFFs in their shared mission to undermine NATO. The Yi Peng 3’s conveniently timed detour near these cables has raised eyebrows across Europe, and rightly so.
🇨🇳Chinese-flagged bulk carrier MV Yi Peng 3 appears to have deliberately dragged anchor to break two underwater telecoms cables in the Baltic Sea.
Now stopped in Kattegat belived to have been intercepted by 🇩🇰Danish naval vessels HDMS Hvidbjørnen and HDMS Søløven.
Similar to… pic.twitter.com/tu5hS32W55
— Navy Lookout (@NavyLookout) November 20, 2024
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Damaging undersea cables is more than just an inconvenience; it’s a direct assault on global communication and security infrastructure. It’s no wonder that NATO allies are deeply concerned, especially as tensions with both Moscow and Beijing continue to escalate. This isn’t just a one-off incident; it’s part of a larger pattern of provocations aimed at destabilizing the West.
While Finland and Sweden investigate, the real question is how long NATO will play defense. Sabotaging critical infrastructure is a dangerous game, and the West can’t afford to sit idly by while adversaries push the limits of plausible deniability. At some point, even “caution” starts to look like weakness.
