Russia steps up provocations against NATO

The cable links Klaipeda in Lithuania with Nybro in Sweden. Preliminary reports suggest the rupture was caused by the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3.

This marks the third incident in just 20 days.

Here are two recent examples:

• January 3: A Chinese ship severed the communication cable between Taiwan and the United States.
• December 25: A Russian oil tanker damaged the power cable linking Estonia and Finland.

And this isn’t the first time. Back in November 2024, there were similar incidents in the Baltic Sea involving severed internet cables connecting Lithuania and Sweden, and Finland and Germany.

However, the recent damage to power cables in the Baltic region is raising alarm about the world edging closer to a total global conflict.

While attacks on internet cables are significant, they’re usually a manageable issue and mostly serve as tools for information warfare. 

Damaging a power cable, however, is a different story entirely.

Right now, Lithuania urgently needs its power infrastructure. On February 8, 2025, Lithuania is set to disconnect from the so-called BRELL energy ring. BRELL stands for Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia — countries linked through a shared electricity network.

This system ensures electricity flows between member countries during surpluses or emergencies. But in August 2024, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia announced they were leaving BRELL. And since then, sabotage has escalated.

Look at Russia’s subtle, asymmetric strategy here — small acts of provocation that don’t spark widespread global outrage but can still lead to serious humanitarian problems. This is hybrid warfare in all its "beauty".

Lithuania’s exit from BRELL also creates headaches for Russia. It isolates Kaliningrad, Russia’s Baltic enclave, which is currently connected to the Russian energy grid through Lithuania. Once BRELL is gone, the power lines to Kaliningrad will need to switch to the European system. That’s why Russia is doing all it can to stall or disrupt the Baltics’ energy integration with the EU.

There’s little doubt that Russia is behind these acts of sabotage. The Chinese ship that severed the NordBalt cable two days ago had a Russian captain.

But there’s also a clear Chinese angle to this. Back in 2020, Chinese engineers developed a cheap, effective cable-cutting device that attaches to an anchor. The American Newsweek even published a detailed article about it.

The world is much closer to global war than it seems.

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About the author. Vasyl Pekhnyo, journalist, analyst

The editorial staff does not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.