On Tuesday, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that Sweden is seeking the return of the Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 to its waters. This request is part of an effort to facilitate an investigation into significant breaches in undersea fiber-optic cables that occurred in the Baltic Sea. The incidents involved two subsea cables, one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania, which were damaged within a short span of time on November 17 and 18. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has speculated that the cause may be related to sabotage.

In response to these incidents, Sweden, Germany, and Lithuania have launched criminal investigations and are focusing on the Yi Peng 3, which departed from the Russian port of Ust-Luga shortly before the damage was reported. MarineTraffic data analysis indicated that the ship was in the vicinity of the breaches. Currently, the vessel is stationed in international waters but remains within Denmark's exclusive economic zone, under the surveillance of Danish military ships.

Prime Minister Kristersson noted that while authorities are seeking clarity on the situation, they are not making direct accusations against the Chinese ship. He expressed hope that China would be receptive to the request for the vessel to enter Swedish waters for the investigation. Despite the presence of intelligence claims suggesting that the Chinese vessel may have been responsible for the cable cuts, opinions vary widely on whether these breaches were accidental or deliberate acts of sabotage.

Katja Bego, a Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House, pointed out the frequency of such incidents, with a range of 150 to 200 occurring annually, predominantly caused by accidents. However, given the geopolitical landscape, an investigation into this particular case seems warranted. She emphasized the complexity of proving intent, regardless of whether the breaches are classified as sabotage or accidents.

Last week, Russia dismissed any claims linking it to the cable disruptions as "absurd." In light of past incidents, such as the damage to a subsea gas pipeline and multiple telecom cables in the region, Finnish authorities have previously suggested that a Chinese ship dragging its anchor may have been involved. Nevertheless, investigators have yet to determine whether the recent damages were the result of negligence or intentional action.