A major undersea data cable connecting Finland and Germany, the C-Lion1, has been severed, with Finnish authorities reporting that all fiber connections along the 1,200-kilometre Baltic Sea route are cut.
Discovered during a routine check by Finnish data provider Cinia, the break is under investigation, with no immediate explanation for the disruption.
Officials have noted that such incidents rarely occur in these waters without external impact, although natural and human activities, such as shipping or fishing, are common causes of undersea cable damage.
The disruption follows heightened scrutiny of undersea infrastructure after incidents like the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage and a gas pipeline break between Finland and Estonia last month.
While no direct evidence links this event to malicious activity, the cable’s proximity to critical infrastructure, such as the Nord Stream pipelines, raises concerns. For now, Finland’s internet traffic is rerouting through alternative pathways, as authorities work to determine the cause and repair the damage.
Image credit: Gleb Lucky
“Some X users have pointed to a crude tanker as a potential suspect in the undersea cable disruption, with One X user speculating, “Potential cause of C-lion1 cable break the crude oil tanker Magic Lady on its way from St. Petersburg to Dakar, which behaved strangely 2024-11-18 10:23:17 UTC in the Baltic Sea.”
Also, Putin stated a couple of weeks ago that he had received information that submarine cables were going to be targeted.