The Inspector of the German Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, has described the frequent damage to underwater cables in the Baltic Sea as deliberate sabotage. “The sheer frequency of these incidents speaks against it being a coincidence” he told the Spiegel. Instead, it is a “clear provocation that always carries the risk of escalating.”
Since the start of the Ukraine war, there have been at least ten disruptions to data cables and several incidents on energy transmission lines. The excuses of many crews, who claim that the dropped anchors are the cause of the cable breaks, are seen by Kaack as a cover-up.
“No one should be naive” the top officer of the German Navy said. “You can’t just not notice an anchor being dropped.” The incident is likened to a tank driving through a market square, with the ship slowing down and veering “like a car with a flat tire” afterward.
The Navy currently has “the smallest fleet in all time” and must prioritize its deployments, Kaack said. Since the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, an anti-mine unit has been in high readiness, able to quickly respond, he added. Even the dispatch of rapid forces has a deterrent effect, the Vice Admiral said. “Who sees one or more warships approaching will likely reconsider their action.