A Chinese cargo ship deliberately severed two critical data cables in the Baltic Sea and dragged one for over 100 miles while off-radar in an attack orchestrated by the Kremlin, a new report has claimed.
European officials were apoplectic after key cables running from Lithuania and Sweden, and Finland and Germany, were cut on November 17 and 18.
Germanys defence minister Boris Pistorius said he believed it was likely sabotage, with ministers from other nations warning the attack was likely part of a hybrid warfare, which experts have said Europe is totally unprepared for.
Now a new report from the Wall Street Journal claims that Russia was behind the attack, and that China wasnt involved.
European investigators told the newspaper that the massive Yi Peng 3 bulk carrier - 225 meters long, 32 meters wide and loaded with Russian fertilizer - turned off its radar system and dropped its anchor as it glided through Swedish waters to cut the Sweden-Lithuania cable at around 9pm local time on November 17.
Six hours later, the Ying Peng 3, owned and operated by Ningbo Yipeng Shipping, is alleged to have cut the Germany-Lithuania cable, having travelled around 110 miles. It then began zigzagging, before it raised its anchor and carried on sailing.
A senior investigator indicated that the ships path mustve been deliberate: Its extremely unlikely that the captain would not have noticed that his ship dropped and dragged its anchor, losing speed for hours and cutting cables on the way.
Danish Navy ships pursued the ship and forced it to anchor in the Kattegat Strait, which connects the Baltic and the North seas. An initial investigation revealed the ships anchor and hull was damaged in a manner consistent with damage suffered from deliberate dragging.
European investigators said the massive Yi Peng 3 bulk carrier (pictured) was responsible for the cables being cut
Vladimir Putins (pictured) Russia is believed to be behind the cable attacks
NATO ships are now guarding the vessel, with Swedish and German authorities negotiating with the ships owner to get access to the vessel and the ships crew for further investigation.
Experts have warned that European nations are totally unprepared for a new era of hybrid warfare that Russia appears to be engaging in.
A former senior European official told the Guardian that the EU is totally unprepared to confront Moscow in its campaign of hybrid warfare, lacking the resources to effectively counter sabotage, arson, assassination and attacks on infrastructure.
They said Europe could expect more hybrid attacks to unfold on the continent in the wake of the American decision to permit usage of long-range ATACMS missiles against targets deep inside Russia.
Russia has been accused of trying to destabilise the West and allies since the war in Ukraine began by allegedly weaponising mass migration along its western border; sabotaging Nord Stream pipelines providing Europe with gas; influencing elections in Moldova and Georgia; jamming aircraft GPS; and even sending exploding sex toys to Western Europe.
Recent disruption to trade and energy, and foiled attacks on businesses supplying aid to Ukraine, have sparked fears that Europe remains woefully underequipped to combat Russias unconventional strategies.
UK and EU ministers said Russias hybrid attacks were escalating and unprecedented in scale, posing security risks.
We know that Russia has the capability and willingness to do sabotage in Europe, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said, urging better protections for critical infrastructure.
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This is closer to terrorism, with the aim of intimidating the population and influencing decision-making, and affecting support for Ukraine, a senior European security official told the Guardian.
Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US state department, said separately that Russia would be held accountable for any further actions while condemning a wider trend of what he called hybrid warfare conducted by Russia both in Europe and around the world.
Britain has shadowed Russian naval vessels and reconnaissance planes around its own coastal waters and airspace for more than a year, believed to be straying nearby to test NATO reaction time, tactics, weapons and patterns by tempting interceptions.
British fighter jets pushed back Russian bombers in international airspace near Scotland in April last year. The planes are filled with communication and reconnaissance equipment to help pick out submarines.
Vlad Şutea, Founder and Lead Analyst at T-Intelligence, told MailOnline the Russian[s] are deliberately testing the RAF and NATOs overall QRA reaction (time and tactics) while also monitoring maritime movements.
Russian ships in the North and Baltic Seas have caused increasing concern for NATO countries in the region, too.