Table 1
Principal suspected and confirmed attacks on undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, 2022–2026.
| DATE | INFRASTRUCTURE DAMAGED | VESSEL (FLAG) | DELIBERATE ACT? | STATUS AT 24 SEPTEMBER 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Sep 2022 | Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines | Alleged: chartered sailing yacht | Yes: sabotage | German prosecutors charged a Ukrainian national in June 2026, alleging he acted on the orders of Ukrainian state agencies; Kyiv denies state involvement (Federal Public Prosecutor General, 2026; Krychkovska-Bogdanova & Tyshchenko, 2026; Neal, 2026). |
| 7–8 Oct 2023 | Balticconnector gas pipeline and telecommunications cables | Newnew Polar Bear (Hong Kong) | Not established | Finnish police traced the pipeline damage to the vessel’s anchor. Its master, charged in Hong Kong, has pleaded not guilty; trial pending (The Maritime Executive, 2026; National Bureau of Investigation, 2025). |
| 17–18 Nov 2024 | BCS East–West Interlink (Lithuania–Sweden) and C-Lion1 (Finland–Germany) telecommunications cables | Yi Peng 3 (China) | Not established | Boarded only under Chinese supervision; Swedish accident investigators could not determine intent. No charges announced (Braw, 2025; Statenshaverikommission, 2025). |
| 25 Dec 2024 | Estlink 2 power cable and four telecommunications cables (Finnish EEZ) | Eagle S (Cook Islands) | Not established | Boarded and seized by Finland; three officers charged. The Helsinki District Court dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction; the Helsinki Court of Appeal found that Finland had jurisdiction (27 August 2026; not final) and remitted the case to the District Court (Braw, 2025; Helsingin hovioikeus, 2026; The Maritime Executive, 2026). |
| 26 Jan 2025 | Latvia–Sweden telecommunications cable off Gotland (Swedish EEZ) | Vezhen (Malta) | No: accident | Seized by Sweden and released. The prosecutor attributed the damage to heavy weather, defective anchor-securing arrangements, and suspected poor seamanship, and closed the Swedish case in October 2025 (Åklagarmyndigheten, 2025; Braw, 2025). |
| 31 Dec 2025 | Two Finland–Estonia telecommunications cables (Estonian EEZ and Finnish territorial sea) | Fitburg (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) | Not established | Master and boatswain charged with aggravated sabotage and aggravated interference with telecommunications; trial opened at Helsinki District Court on 8 September 2026; both deny the charges and dispute Finnish jurisdiction (Yle News, 2026). |
| 2 Jan 2026 | Lithuania–Latvia telecommunications cable off Liepāja (Latvian EEZ) | None linked; the suspect vessel was cleared | Not established | Latvian criminal investigation opened; police noted that a storm may have caused the damage (TV Kurzeme, 2026). |
[i] Note: Incidents since 2022 investigated as possibly deliberate, in which a vessel was boarded or detained, or suspects were charged. Linking a vessel to the damage, establishing deliberate conduct, and establishing state direction are distinct findings; inclusion here does not imply attribution. EEZ = exclusive economic zone.