Investigators are trying to decipher two mysterious cable breaks in the Baltic Sea that occurred just hours apart. European officials believe the disruptions were acts of sabotage, while U.S. officials say they are likely an accident.
Two cables near the Nord Stream gas pipeline - BCS East-West connecting Lithuania with Sweden and C-Lion1 connecting Finland with Germany - were suddenly disrupted on November 17 and 18.
European leaders were quick to express their doubts. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that "no one believes that these cables were cut by accident".
The Finnish and German foreign ministers said in a joint statement that they were "very concerned" about the incident and raised the possibility that it was part of a "hybrid war", specifically mentioning Russia.
The disruption to the cables comes just weeks after the US warned that Russia has the ability to target critical underwater infrastructure, CNN noted.
This comes after months of Russian ship movements in European waters and a significant build-up of a secretive Russian naval unit tasked with surveying the seabed.
But two US officials familiar with the initial assessment of the incident told CNN that the cable break was not believed to be intentional by Russia or any other country, but was likely caused by an anchor being pulled from a passing ship. Such accidents have occurred in the past, although not in quick succession like the two incidents on November 17-18.
On November 20, the Kremlin dismissed as "ridiculous" suggestions that Moscow was involved, saying it was "absurd to blame Russia for anything without any basis".
However, law enforcement agencies in both Sweden and Finland believe the incident was intentional.
The Swedish Public Prosecutor's Office said it had opened a preliminary investigation into suspected sabotage. The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation also announced a criminal investigation into suspected sabotage and serious interference with communications.
Meanwhile, the appearance of a ship attracted the attention of the authorities.
The Chinese-flagged Yi Peng 3 was spotted in the area at the time the two cables were severed. The bulk carrier was sailing from the Russian port of Ust-Luga, where it had been anchored for several days.
On November 20, the Danish Armed Forces said they were in the area near the Yi Peng 3, but did not say whether they were pursuing the ship.
When asked about the ship at a press conference on November 20, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said he was "unaware of this situation."
"China has always fulfilled its flag state obligations and requires Chinese vessels to strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations. We also attach great importance to protecting the safety of undersea infrastructure and work with the international community to actively promote the construction and protection of submarine cables and other global information infrastructure," the spokesperson stressed.
