Lyce · Hybrid Watch

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C-Lion1 Submarine Telecommunications Cable Damaged Between Finland and Germany in the Baltic Sea.

On 26 January 2025, the C-Lion1 submarine telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Germany sustained physical damage in the Baltic Sea, according to a subsequent investigation by Finnish telecommunications operator Cinia. The disturbance was first publicly reported on 20 February, when Cinia announced that an abnormality had been detected in the cable without affecting the operation of telecommunications services. On 24 February, the company stated that the damage was suspected to have occurred at approximately 02:37 Finnish time on 26 January, coinciding with a separate disruption to an underwater telecommunications cable connecting Latvia and Sweden’s Gotland island. Further technical examination confirmed that the C-Lion1 damage consisted of a shunt fault, an insulation-related electrical defect rather than a complete severance of the cable. Cinia located the damaged section between Gotland and Ventspils, in the same general area where the Sweden–Latvia cable had been damaged.

Occurrence
2025-01-26
Publication
2025-01-26
First observed
2026-10-19T10:30:14.707Z
Review status
Not assessed
Countries
DE, FI
Updated
2026-10-19T10:30:14.707Z

Attribution

Pattern-compatible

Facts

No facts

Sources

  1. Role
    discovery_lead
    Date
    2025-01-25T23:12:03Z

    On 26 January 2025, the C-Lion1 submarine telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Germany sustained physical damage in the Baltic Sea, according to a subsequent investigation by Finnish telecommunications operator Cinia. The disturbance was first publicly reported on 20 February, when Cinia announced that an abnormality had been detected in the cable without affecting the operation of telecommunications services. On 24 February, the company stated that the damage was suspected to have occurred at approximately 02:37 Finnish time on 26 January, coinciding with a separate disruption to an underwater telecommunications cable connecting Latvia and Sweden’s Gotland island. Further technical examination confirmed that the C-Lion1 damage consisted of a shunt fault, an insulation-related electrical defect rather than a complete severance of the cable. Cinia located the damaged section between Gotland and Ventspils, in the same general area where the Sweden–Latvia cable had been damaged.