Trace at the bottom of the sea

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Disrupted power connection: oil tanker "Eagle S" (in the background) and the Finnish border guard ship Turva(Bild: AFP)

Last week, an underwater cable was damaged off Finland. Russia was suspected. EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas is now calling for consequences - and not just with regard to the so-called shadow fleet.

For the first time, the EU is blaming Russia for the increase in acts of sabotage in Europe. "Sabotage in Europe has increased since Russia started its war against Ukraine", EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas told the newspaper "Welt".

Sabotage in Europe has increased since Russia started its war against Ukraine.

EU-Chefdiplomatin Kaja Kallas

The latest sabotage attempts, in particular the damage to the "Estlink 2" submarine cable in the Baltic Sea, are not isolated incidents, but part of a pattern of coordinated actions to destabilize European infrastructure.

"The trail is dozens of kilometers long"
The EU suspects that the anchor of an oil tanker belonging to the Russian shadow fleet damaged the cable. Finnish investigators found a suspicious drag mark on the seabed. "The trail is dozens of kilometers long," said investigator Sami Paila.

The oil tanker "Eagle S" is said to belong to the Russian shadow fleet and to have destroyed the underwater power cable "Estlink 2" in the Baltic Sea with its anchor.(Bild: AFP/Jussi Nukari / Lehtikuva / AFP)

Kallas therefore announced stronger action against the Russian ships, which are also held responsible for environmental pollution and the circumvention of sanctions.

The EU foreign policy chief also commented on the crash of an Azerbaijani passenger plane in Kazakhstan with 38 fatalities, for which Russian ruler Vladimir Putin apologized at the weekend but did not accept direct responsibility.

"There is more and more evidence that the Russian air defense shot down the passenger plane." The responsibility ultimately lies with Moscow. Russia's war against Ukraine had "only created the conditions for this accident to happen". The Russian air defense probably wanted to disable a Ukrainian drone.

Kallas to Trump: Take a tough stance towards Russia
Kallas called on the government in Washington to take a confident and tough stance towards Russia in future, even under Donald Trump's presidency. "Help for Ukraine is not a handout, but an investment in the security of us all. If the United States takes a strong stance against Russia, this will prevent trouble with China. Supporting Ukraine saves Americans from future conflicts."

According to Kallas, new avenues should be explored in order to provide Ukraine with greater financial support. "Russia should pay for the damage that has been done. Kiev's demand for compensation is legitimate. We should discuss how some of the frozen (Russian) assets or the entire amount can be used to strengthen Ukraine."

So far, according to an EU decision, only the interest profits have been siphoned off and invested in military equipment for Ukraine, while the reserves of the Russian central bank (around 210 billion euros) have remained untouched.