Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys has called for a review of the existing navigation rules after the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre’s (LVRTC) fibre-optic cable was damaged in the Baltic Sea on Sunday.
“Navigation rules in the Baltic Sea need to be reviewed, especially when it comes to the use of anchors,” Budrys posted on X on Sunday, adding that too many cable incidents have taken place in the Baltic Sea lately for them to be considered accidents.
“The shadow fleet is not just a problem for sanctions circumvention. It’s a larger issue that puts our environment and critical infrastructure at risk,” he said, referring to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”, which transports Russian crude oil and petroleum products to circumvent sanctions on Moscow.
The submarine optical fibre cable in the Baltic Sea belonging to the LVRTC was reportedly damaged early Sunday morning. According to Vineta Sprugaine of the LVRTC, there are reasons to believe that the cable sustained external damage, and an investigation into the incident has been launched.
The Latvian Navy inspected the Maltese-flagged Michalis San on suspicion that it might have damaged the cable but did not detect any suspicious activity on board or damage to the anchor.
Sweden announced late on Sunday that it has detained a ship suspected of damaging the cable.
Budrys has also called on the European Union to impose sanctions on the owners and beneficiaries of Russia’s “shadow fleet”.
“EU sanctions should target not just the ships but also their owners, funders, and all beneficiaries,” the foreign minister said in a press release.
Budrys made the proposal during a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday.
He called for the inclusion of all identified ships from Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the next package of EU sanctions against the country, and for restricting their access and movement in the Baltic Sea due to environmental and maritime safety concerns.
He also urged the European Commission to propose measures to bolster the resilience of critical underwater infrastructure.
According to Budrys, these should encourage the use of new technologies to detect breaches and detain suspects, as well as make underwater cable repair equipment more easily accessible to EU member states.
The minister also called on the bloc to seek consensus on imposing movement restrictions and other measures on Russian diplomats accredited in EU countries and their family members.
Several submarine telecommunication and power cables have been severed in the Baltic Sea in recent months, and experts and politicians say it may be part of a Russian-organised hybrid warfare.
In response to the incidents, NATO launched a new Baltic Sentry surveillance mission in the Baltic Sea in January to prevent attacks on underwater infrastructure in the region.
On Monday, Budrys also called on the alliance to step up patrols.
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