Jurisdictional coordinates shifted responsibility to Sweden, prompting renewed regional concern over undersea infrastructure security. Investigations continue in neighboring countries as NATO ramps up protection.
The Lithuanian General Prosecutor’s Office has decided to discontinue the pre-trial investigation into the damage of two underwater fiber-optic cables connecting Lithuania with Sweden in the Baltic Sea; the incident occurred in November 2024.
The prosecutor’s office explained that the investigation was terminated after a finding of no intent to harm Lithuania, as the cables were damaged on the seabed within Sweden’s exclusive economic zone.
The finding is based on identifying the exact locations of the incident using geographic coordinates and is decisive for assessing jurisdiction and the boundaries of liability.
“This conclusion was reached after pinpointing the exact locations of the incident with precise geographic coordinates. This circumstance is decisive for assessing jurisdiction and the boundaries of liability.”
– Representatives of the General Prosecutor’s Office
The Lithuanian prosecutors added that similar investigations into damaged cables in the Baltic Sea are ongoing in Sweden and Finland.
Context and Next Steps
In November, two fiber-optic cables were damaged: one connected Finland and Germany, the other Sweden and Lithuania, which raised suspicions of sabotage.
The NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the North Atlantic Alliance is launching the Baltic Sentry mission to strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
At the end of 2024, Finland opened a criminal investigation into possible involvement of the so-called shadow fleet of Russia in damaging the underwater energy cable between Finland and Estonia on December 25.
In January it became known that an underwater fiber-optic cable of the state-patented LVRTC company was damaged in the Baltic Sea.
While investigations remain open, regional authorities are tightening controls on critical infrastructure and supporting coordination among Baltic region countries.