Finland-Sweden Fiber Optic Cables Damaged in Two Places, Authorities Rule Out Sabotage

Finnish police confirm cable breaches were caused by construction work, alleviating initial fears of sabotage in a region with recent infrastructure attacks.

Two land-based fiber optic cables connecting Finland and Sweden were severed on Monday, affecting 6,000 households and 100 businesses in Finland.
Finnish authorities confirmed one cable was accidentally damaged by excavation work, while the cause of the second breach is still under investigation.
Initial suspicions of sabotage were raised by Swedish officials, citing recent incidents of undersea cable damage in the Baltic Sea, but Finnish police found no evidence of criminal activity.
The incidents follow heightened concerns over critical infrastructure security in the Baltic region, with NATO increasing efforts to protect undersea and land-based systems.
Both damaged cables have been repaired, restoring internet services to the affected customers, according to telecom operator GlobalConnect.