Latest damage to Finland-Sweden data cables caused by construction, not criminals, say authorities

The Finnish government on Tuesday said a data network outage caused by damage to two land-based communications cables between Finland and Sweden a day earlier was the result of construction work in the area.

The National Cyber Security Centre of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom had been tasked with investigating the cause of the fault in the fiber-optic network cables connecting Finland and Sweden.

Traficom said the disruption, which left at least a hundred businesses and around 6,000 consumers without internet on Monday, was caused by a break in two different sections of the cable connection due to excavation work taking place.

"There is no reason to suspect criminal activity in the two cable damage incidents," local police said in a statement, although Swedish authorities initially had announced they were considering “the possibility of sabotage.”

Barely three weeks ago, the 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) underseas fiber optic data cables between Finland and Germany were severed in the Baltic Sea, as well as the submerged communication cables between Lithuania and Sweden.

The “C-Lion-1” cable cut in November is said to be the only cable connecting Finland with Central Europe, with both incidents being investigated as acts of “intentional” sabotage. A Chinese bulk carrier suspected of causing the damage is now being questioned while anchored in Danish waters.

“We always take cable breaks seriously, but calmly,” Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications LuLu Ranne said in one of several X posts about the findings on Tuesday. “They did not cause significant damage and were quickly repaired,” Ranne said.

Traficomin Kyberturvallisuuskeskus on ollut mukana selvittämässä maanantain kaapelivaurioita. Ne eivät aiheuttaneet merkittävää haittaa ja ne korjattiin nopeasti.

➡️ https://t.co/dlGMxCQaIn pic.twitter.com/X0ZHP0dNT4

undefined Liikenne- ja viestintävirasto Traficom (@TraficomFinland) December 3, 2024

Calling it a "normal damage situation," Traficom said it trains for malfunction situations regularly and is always prepared to secure communications with backup connections.

"The use of the Internet does not depend on a single cable or even its backup connection. The system as a whole can withstand several simultaneous disturbances," said Samuli Bergström, the Director of the National Cyber Security Centre's Anomaly Management Department.

A spokesperson for Global Connect, the telecommunications company in charge of the fiber cables, told the Associated Press the first cut happened Monday morning and the second cable was damaged in the afternoon.

The fact that two cuts took place in the same region and on the same day is what triggered the concern among Nordic authorities, the spokesperson said.

There have been reports of Russia ramping up sabotage attempts in recent months, specifically targeting the critical infrastructure of NATO allies in an effort to disrupt support for Ukraine.

Traficom said the damaged sites were located in Vihti and Leppävaara, in the southern part of Finland.