Beneath the surface of the Baltic Sea, something strange was lurking in the wreckage of an ancient ship. A marine archaeologist and researcher at Lund University in Sweden named Brendan Foley was cleaning off the mud from a wooden tankard wedged under some firewood when the tankard started moving by itself.

In just three months, three incidents of damage to Baltic Sea underwater cables have taken place. While accidential cable slices are common, the cluster raises suspicion.

A Norwegian-owned and Russian-crewed ship that authorities initially suspected may have been involved in damage to an underwater fiber optic cable connecting Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland has been released.

Nato countries have stepped up patrols to protect critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, which is bordered by eight countries, and other waters. A Royal Navy submarine was ordered to surface last November close to a suspected Russian spy ship which was loitering over undersea infrastructure in UK waters.

Swedish prosecutors have decided to release a vessel belonging to a Bulgarian shipping company after ruling out initial suspicions that sabotage caused damage to an undersea fiber-optic cable between

Police say a Norwegian-owned and Russian-crewed ship that authorities suspect may have been involved in damage to an underwater fiber optic cable connecting Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland has been stopped off Norway.

A Maltese-flagged freighter detained by Swedish authorities following damage to a data cable in the Baltic Sea has been released after suspicions of sabotage were not confirmed, state prosecutors said on Monday.