The European Commission said a cargo ship suspected of having deliberately damaged power and Internet cables in the Baltic Sea is part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," prompting the EU to threaten new sanctions against Moscow.
"We strongly condemn any deliberate destruction of Europe’s critical infrastructure," the commission said in a statement on December 26.
"The suspected vessel is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia’s war budget. We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet," the statement added.
The statement added that "in response to these incidents, we are strengthening efforts to protect undersea cables, including enhanced information exchange, new detection technologies, as well as in undersea repair capabilities, and international cooperation."
The remarks come after two fiber-optic cables owned by Finnish operator Elisa linking Finland and Estonia were broken on December 25. A third link between the two countries -- owned by China's Citic -- was damaged, authorities said.
An Internet cable running between Finland and Germany belonging to Finnish group Cinia was also believed to have been severed, according to officials.
SEE ALSO: Environmentalists Warn Of Disaster As Russian Officials Race To Grounded Tankers In Kerch StraitInvestigators said the damage could have been caused by the ship intentionally dragging its anchor.
Finnish authorities on December 26 boarded and took command of the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S oil tanker in the Baltic Sea as part of the investigation.
The Finnish customs service said the Eagle S is believed to belong to Russia's so-called “shadow fleet” of old, uninsured oil vessels used to bypass Western sanctions and maintain a source of revenue. The poor condition of these ships has also raised concerns about environmental disasters.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb also suggested the cargo has Russian links and that his country is closely monitoring the situation.
"It is necessary to be able to prevent the risks posed by ships belonging to the Russian shadow fleet," Stubb wrote on X.
EU foreign ministers on December 16 adopted a package of sanctions against Moscow targeting tankers transporting Russian oil as the bloc looked to curb the circumvention of previous measures aimed at hindering Kremlin's ability to wage war against Ukraine.
SEE ALSO: EU Ministers Approve New Sanctions Targeting Russian 'Shadow Fleet'Meanwhile, NATO chief Mark Rutte said on December 26 that the alliance is ready to help Finland and Estonia as they launch their probe into the possible "sabotage."
"Spoke with [Estonian Prime Minister] Kristen Michal about reported possible sabotage of Baltic Sea cables,” he wrote on X.
“NATO stands in solidarity with Allies and condemns any attacks on critical infrastructure. We are following investigations by Estonia and Finland, and we stand ready to provide further support."