Sweden and Lithuania’s defense ministers voiced serious concerns over the severing of an undersea telecom cable linking the two countries, which is being investigated as sabotage.

In a joint statement, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson and Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas described the incident as alarming and emphasized that such situations must be viewed against the backdrop of increasing threats from Russia in the region.

The damaged cable in the Baltic Sea has heightened worries over the security of critical infrastructure amid growing tensions, Barron’s has reported.

Written by B.C. Begley