Multiple Cell Towers Sabotaged Across NATO Nation: What To Know
Sweden is investigating a series of suspected sabotage incidents involving more than 30 telecom towers, raising alarms over infrastructure vulnerability amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in Europe.
The affected infrastructure spans locations along Sweden's E22 highway, where cables were severed and technical equipment damaged at multiple sites, according to local media and Data Center Dynamics.
Sweden, which joined NATO in March 2024, is among several member states seeing increased focus on critical infrastructure protection, particularly in the context of the Baltic region's elevated security posture following Russia's war in Ukraine.
Though the motive and perpetrator remain unknown, the nature of the damage has heightened concerns within Sweden's security community.
"This stands out and is more than usual," Roger Gustafsson, head of security at Sweden's Post and Telecom Authority (PTS), told the national broadcaster SVT Nyheter.
The incidents started during Easter weekend at more than 30 locations and led to outages on mobile networks in some cases but nothing major.
The E22, also known as the European Road, is part of a road network that stretches for more than 3,300 miles, connecting the U.K. in the west to Russia in the east.
Detective Superintendent Håkan Wessung, head of serious crime in Kalmar, said investigators "don't rule anything out," including the possibility of deliberate attacks, according to The Economic Times.
Previous incidents in Sweden include a 2016 case in which a 300-meter mast was deliberately taken down, affecting tens of thousands of households.
Meanwhile, concerns about infrastructure security have extended to undersea cables.
In February, a fiber-optic cable between Finland and Germany was damaged in Swedish waters near Gotland. Swedish authorities opened a sabotage investigation, although the Finnish operator reported no service disruption.
"These incidents must be viewed in the context of the existing serious security situation," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X, formerly Twitter, at the time.
Similar sabotage acts previously affected NATO member states, including Sweden, such as the cutting of key underwater communications cables in the Baltic, arson attacks on logistics facilities in Germany, and cyberattacks targeting defense firms.
Swedish prosecutor Michelle Stein, who is leading the police investigation, told SVT: "There are circumstances that make everything seem to be connected, but it is something that the investigation will have to show."
Multiple European telecommunications firms, in an open letter to the European Union, U.K. and NATO In April: "At this crucial time for Europe's security and resilience, we commend your efforts to strengthen collective defence and protect critical infrastructure. Subsea cables play a vital role in Europe's connectivity, competitiveness, defence readiness, and economic stability. We recommend the EU/EEA and UK authorities as well as NATO renew their collaboration to address this situation effectively, together with the industry stakeholders from the EU and from the UK.
"With the rise in hybrid threats, including incidents affecting subsea cables in the Baltic and North Sea, we emphasize the importance of enhanced, coordinated action to safeguard Europe's cross-border networks. The EU Action Plan on Cable Security provides a clear approach to further increase the resilience and security of subsea cables."
Swedish authorities continue to investigate the tower incidents, with assistance from security services and technical experts. They have not announced arrests or released findings confirming sabotage.
In the meantime, national and regional coordination on critical infrastructure protection is expected to intensify.
The developments have pushed telecommunications and energy security higher on Sweden's national agenda as European nations adapt to a security environment reshaped by war and technological vulnerability.
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