An undersea fiber optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Sunday, likely as a result of external influence, Latvia said, triggering an investigation by local and NATO maritime forces in the Baltic Sea.

Incidents damaging Europe’s undersea networks have become more frequent since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, raising suspicions they are the result of sabotage.

Europe’s undersea infrastructure faces increasing disruptions, with gas pipelines, power lines, and data cables under threat. Recent damage to a critical cable between Sweden and Latvia adds to the series of incidents across the Baltic Sea.

Lufthansa said on Wednesday it had agreed to receive a stake of 10% in Latvian airline airBaltic, as the German airline seeks to strengthen its international network.

The authorities said they believed the vessel may have been involved in damaging the cable, the latest act of apparent sabotage in the Baltic Sea.

OSLO, Norway — 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, police said Friday.

The Russian crew and Norway-owned shipping company are cooperating with the authorities, police say, days after Sweden detained another vessel.

Latvia, a small Baltic country, is rapidly emerging as a potential fintech hub in the EU. The country is taking real strides to attract innovative financial companies, and it's worth exploring what sets Latvia apart.

Hundreds of Swedish troops arrived in Latvia on Saturday to join a Canadian-led multinational brigade along NATO's eastern flank, a mission Sweden is calling its most significant operation so far as a member of the Western defense alliance.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG will buy a 10% stake in Latvian flag carrier AirBaltic AS as the German carrier group continues its consolidation push in Europe.

The Nordic country has opened an investigation into the damage, just weeks after NATO stepped up its military presence in the area following a series of similar incidents.

The Arelion submarine cable, which connects the Swedish island of Gotland to Lithuania, and the C-Lion 1 submarine communications cable that runs between Finland's capital Helsinki and the German city of Rostock were also damaged in mid-November near Sweden's territorial waters.