CNN
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Investigators are trying to unravel the mystery of how two underwater internet cables in the Baltic Sea were cut off within hours of each other, with European officials saying they believed the the disruption was an act of sabotage and U.S. officials suggesting it was likely an accident.

Both cables – the East-West BCS linking Lithuania to Sweden and the C-Lion1 linking Finland to Germany – were suddenly interrupted on Sunday and Monday.

European leaders were quick to voice their suspicions. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that “no one believes that these cables were cut accidentally.”

The foreign ministers of Finland and Germany said in a joint statement statement that they were “deeply concerned” by the incident and raised the possibility that it was part of a “hybrid war”, specifically mentioning Russia in their statement.

Their assessment did not come out of nowhere. Russia has been accused of waging a hybrid war against Europe after a series of suspicious incidents, arsons, explosions and other acts of sabotage in several European countries were blamed on Moscow.

And the cable disruption came just weeks after the United States warned that Moscow was likely to target critical underwater infrastructure. This followed months of suspicious movements of Russian ships in European waters and the significant strengthening of a secret Russian maritime unit tasked with studying the seabed.

But two U.S. officials familiar with the initial assessment of the incident told CNN on Tuesday that the damage did not appear to be the result of deliberate activity by Russia or any other country.

Instead, both officials told CNN they believed it was likely due to the drag of a passing ship’s anchor. Such accidents have happened in the past, but not in rapid succession like those on Sunday and Monday.

The Kremlin on Wednesday rejected “laughable” suggestions that it was involved, saying it was “absurd to continue blaming Russia for anything without any basis.”

Still, law enforcement in Sweden and Finland said they believed the damage was deliberate.

The Swedish public prosecutor announced on Tuesday that it had opened a preliminary investigation into suspicions of sabotage. On Wednesday, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation announced it was opening a criminal investigation into the alleged crimes of aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications.

One ship in particular has sparked the interest of authorities and online sleuths.

The Chinese-flagged vessel Yi Peng 3 was spotted in the area at the time the two cables were cut. The bulk carrier left the Russian port of Ust-Luga, where it docked for several days.

On Wednesday, the Danish armed forces said they were present in the area near Yi Peng 3, but did not say whether they had pursued the ship.

Asked about the ship during a press briefing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said he was “not aware of the situation”.

He said China “has always fully fulfilled its obligations as a flag state and requires Chinese vessels to strictly comply with applicable laws and regulations.”

“We also attach great importance to protecting the security of underwater infrastructure and work with the international community to actively promote the construction and protection of submarine cables and other global information infrastructure,” he said. he declared.