According to her, by strengthening the region’s energy independence, the Baltic states will disconnect from the BRELL power grid connected to Russia in February of next year to join the European energy grid.
“I am in communication with my Finnish and Estonian colleagues about the damage to “EstLink 2”, the politician says in the statement, “Latvia is ready to provide help if there is such a need. We are coordinating at the level of government leaders to maintain security in the Baltic Sea.”
Silina claims that the National Armed Forces are stepping up surveillance and regular surveying of critical infrastructure.
As reported, the electrical cable connecting Estonia and Finland “EstLink 2” stopped working on Wednesday, but later it was announced that three underwater communication cables between Estonia and Finland were also damaged.
As Estonian media reported on Thursday, the Estonian Consumer Rights Protection and Technical Supervision Board was informed that two communication cables belonging to the “Elisa Eesti AS” group and one communication cable belonging to “CITIC Telecom CPC” were damaged. According to the telecommunications companies that provide communication services via cables, the disturbances have not significantly affected end users, all services and communications between Estonia and Finland are working.
Estonia’s external connections are duplicated many times, and in the event of a submarine cable failure, alternative functioning submarine cables or surface cables to Latvia can be used to ensure cross-border Internet access and the operation of various services.
Finnish media reported that at the time when EstLink 2 stopped working, the vessel Xin Xin Tiang 2, which sails under the Hong Kong flag, was nearby. Later, news emerged that the Russian “shadow fleet” ship “Eagle S” flying the flag of the Cook Islands was also nearby. Finland has detained this vessel.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs expressed his assessment on social networks that the damage to underwater cables between Finland and Estonia is most likely not a coincidence. “The protection of critical marine infrastructure must be one of the main tasks of NATO and the Baltic Sea,” emphasized Rinkēvičs.
Source: www.diena.lv
