Event 16

{
  "border_violation_countries": [
    "SE",
    "EE",
    "Sweden",
    "Estonia",
    "BSR"
  ],
  "border_violation_modes": [
    "Undersea",
    "Sabotage"
  ],
  "category": "Undersea",
  "confidence": "Low",
  "confidence_rationale": "Alert published by a known analyst quoting Swedish officials’ confirmation and showing event clustering with gas and telecom cable damages; timing and nature strongly suggestive of hostile interference or sabotage.",
  "countries": [
    "Sweden",
    "Estonia",
    "Finland",
    "Baltic Sea Region"
  ],
  "country": "Sweden",
  "defense_prep": {},
  "description": "Balticconnector sabotage \"[1] ALERTSwedish officials have confirmed that a telecommunications cable between #Sweden & #Estonia was partially damaged around the same time that #Estonia-#Finland #Balticconnector gas pipeline & Elisa telecom cables damaged last week.\" \n[2] According to Estonia s ERR news, the newly reported Sweden-Estonia cable damage occurred ~50 kilometers from the Estonian island of Hiiumaa in the direction of Sweden, likely meaning the EE-S 1 cable was the line damaged. [3] Estonian MinDef Hanno Pevkur indicates that the investigation into this damage is ongoing and to establish if it is related to the Balticconnector pipeline & Elisa cable cut:  [4] Pevkur stated:  The scale of this failure was quite small and, as the operators also said, the failure was corrected. It needs to be clarified what exactly was the nature of the failure and whether it is also related to the Estonian-Finnish [communications] cable and [gas] pipeline failure",
  "event_time_utc": "2023-10-17T12:00:00Z",
  "evidence": [
    "Post screenshot from Dr. Benjamin L. Schmitt, 17 October 2023, referencing Swedish official confirmation of the cable damage and timing with other Baltic undersea incidents.",
    "Map showing undersea infrastructure between Sweden, Estonia, and Finland.",
    "Social media report citing Swedish officials confirming cable damage",
    "Incident time: 4:24 PM - Oct 17, 2023 stated on post",
    "Screenshot from X showing alert and map of cable location.",
    "Statement refers to official confirmation and matches public record timing of Balticconnector and Elisa incidents."
  ],
  "evidence_quotes": [
    "ALERT Swedish officials have confirmed that a telecommunications cable between Sweden & Estonia was partially damaged around the same time that Estonia-Finland Balticconnector gas pipeline & Elisa telecom cables damaged last week.",
    "Swedish officials have confirmed that a telecommunications cable between #Sweden & #Estonia was partially damaged around the same time that #Estonia-#Finland #Balticconnector gas pipeline & Elisa telecom cables damaged last week."
  ],
  "extra": {
    "category_raw": "Cable Cut",
    "extra": {
      "extra": {
        "extra": {
          "evidence": [
            "Post screenshot from Dr. Benjamin L. Schmitt, 17 October 2023, referencing Swedish official confirmation of the cable damage and timing with other Baltic undersea incidents.",
            "Map showing undersea infrastructure between Sweden, Estonia, and Finland."
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "follow_up_by_country": [
    {
      "country": "Sweden",
      "link": "https://x.com/BLSchmitt/status/1714316549119517194",
      "notes": "Swedish officials confirmed cable damage.",
      "status": "Official Statement"
    }
  ],
  "headline": "Swedish telecom cable between Sweden & Estonia partially damaged; investigation links timing to earlier Balticconnector and telecom outages",
  "is_continuous": false,
  "location_text": "Between Sweden & Estonia (Baltic Sea)",
  "media_assets": [
    {
      "captured_at": "2025-11-23T15:56:34.143166Z",
      "description": "Screenshot capture",
      "hash": "e6440b1c2738c85de9667c32c8c1a4fd2ee6532a37081d85cec7558b261d5a93",
      "mime": "image/jpeg",
      "origin": "restore",
      "size_bytes": 276106,
      "source_url": null,
      "type": "screenshot",
      "url": "/media/event_16_1763913394_fce3e8cc.jpg"
    }
  ],
  "notes": "BALTICCONNECTOR",
  "primary_ref_links": [
    "https://news.err.ee/1609136021/cable-between-sweden-estonia-damaged-around-same-time-as-balticconnector"
  ],
  "schema_version": "v1",
  "screenshot_count": 1,
  "sources": [
    "https://x.com/BLSchmitt/status/1714316549119517194",
    "https://news.err.ee/1609136021/cable-between-sweden-estonia-damaged-around-same-time-as-balticconnector"
  ],
  "summary_short": "Swedish officials confirm partial damage to a Sweden-Estonia undersea telecommunications cable, concurrent with other regional infrastructure damage events.",
  "url": "https://x.com/BLSchmitt/status/1714316549119517194"
}

{
  "5th Column of Russians Inside (which countries)": "",
  "Attack Type": "Cable Cut",
  "Borders Including Sea, Air,  Violation or Sabotage (which countries)": "BSR",
  "Continuous? (e.g. Jammers)": "",
  "Country (FI;EE;LV;LT;PL;BSR;Air)\nSeparated by Semicolon": "EE;BSR",
  "Date": "17-Oct-23",
  "Defense Prep Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL)": "",
  "Defense Prep Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL) REF LINK": "",
  "Follow-Up Link?  (FI,EE,LV,LT,PL, BSR, Air)": "",
  "Follow-Up NOTES": "",
  "Follow-Up incl. Investigation, Prosecution?  (FI,EE,LV,LT,PL, BSR, Air)": "",
  "Latitude, Longitude (WGS84, Decimal Degrees)": "",
  "NOTES": "BALTICCONNECTOR",
  "Political Disruptions w/ Laws to Favor Kremlin (which countries)": "",
  "Russian-Belarus Terrorist Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL)": "Balticconnector sabotage \"[1] ALERTSwedish officials have confirmed that a telecommunications cable between #Sweden & #Estonia was partially damaged around the same time that #Estonia-#Finland #Balticconnector gas pipeline & Elisa telecom cables damaged last week.\" \n[2] According to Estonia s ERR news, the newly reported Sweden-Estonia cable damage occurred ~50 kilometers from the Estonian island of Hiiumaa in the direction of Sweden, likely meaning the EE-S 1 cable was the line damaged. [3] Estonian MinDef Hanno Pevkur indicates that the investigation into this damage is ongoing and to establish if it is related to the Balticconnector pipeline & Elisa cable cut:  [4] Pevkur stated:  The scale of this failure was quite small and, as the operators also said, the failure was corrected. It needs to be clarified what exactly was the nature of the failure and whether it is also related to the Estonian-Finnish [communications] cable and [gas] pipeline failure ",
  "Russian-Belarus Terrorist Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL) REF LINK": "https://x.com/BLSchmitt/status/1714316549119517194 and https://news.err.ee/1609136021/cable-between-sweden-estonia-damaged-around-same-time-as-balticconnector",
  "Screen Snapshot": "",
  "Screen Snapshots": "1 screen snapshot",
  "Type Dropdown": "",
  "Where?\n(Air, Land, Sea)": ""
}