A communication cable connecting Finland and Germany damaged in the Baltic Sea.

The Finnish company Cinia reported that its underwater cable C-Lion1, which connects Finland and Germany, has been damaged in the Baltic Sea.

The cable, which is 1,173 km long, runs from Helsinki to Rostock. The break in one cable affects the telecommunication connection between the two countries and increases the load on others.

The reasons for the cable break are currently unknown. The head of the Traficom Cybersecurity Center confirmed the fact of the damage, and the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo) noted that human activity, including fishing or anchoring, may be the cause.

The company Cinia has begun repair work, but the exact timeframe for restoring the connection is not yet known. Usually, the restoration of underwater cables takes from 5 to 15 days.

One of the cybersecurity professors at the University of Jyväskylä believes that the break was an intentional act, not an accident.

It is worth noting that earlier a Russian reconnaissance ship was expelled from waters controlled by Ireland after it violated boundaries and patrolled areas where important underwater pipelines and cables are located.

NATO representatives expressed suspicions that Russia may lay mines on critical underwater infrastructure in the European Union in the North Sea. Six European countries with maritime borders in the North Sea have signed an agreement to work together to protect this infrastructure from potential Russian attacks.