"Of course, such plans and attempts to damage the infrastructure are part of a bigger picture. Clearly, hybrid warfare is ongoing and it is not a coincidence that the infrastructure is being damaged. It is being damaged with a very clear goal in mind. One of the goals may be to discredit the Baltic States’ synchronisation with the network of continental Europe," the minister told LRT radio on Tuesday.
Swedish public broadcaster reported Monday that traces of damage caused by a ship’s anchor were detected on the NordBalt power cable connecting Sweden and Lithuania. Swedish Defense Minister Carl-Oscar Bolin said the damage might have been caused by the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3.
A number of telecommunications and power cables were severed previously in the Baltic Sea in a suspected sabotage.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on 9 February are scheduled to disconnect from the Russian-controlled IPS/UPS electricity system, the so called BRELL (Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) ring.