Multiple countries are investigating and the authorities in Europe say they have not ruled out sabotage. But U.S. intelligence officials have assessed that the cables were not cut deliberately.

Sweden has sent a formal request to China to cooperate with an investigation into suspected sabotage over the sudden disruption of two submarine internet cables in the Baltic Sea earlier this month, after tracking data linked a Chinese ship to the incidents.

Sweden's prime minister says his government has formally asked China to cooperate in explaining the recent rupture of data cables on the Baltic Sea bed in an area where a China-flagged vessel was sighted.

Sweden asked for Beijing's cooperation with an investigation.China said on Friday it was ready to assist in a probe into the severing of two cables in the Baltic Sea. It comes after Sweden asked for Beijing's cooperation in the probe into the rupture of two data cables on November 17-18 in an area where a China- flagged vessel had been sighted.

Cables connecting Finland with Germany, and Lithuania with Sweden, have been disrupted, just weeks after the United States warned that it had detected increased Russian military activity around key undersea cables.

A Chinese ship is suspected of severing two critical internet cables in the Baltic Sea in an act of sabotage that may have been orchestrated by Russia.

Germany’s defense minister said damage to two fiber-optic cables on the sea floor appeared deliberate, but a culprit was not known.

Two fibre-optic undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were severed on Sunday and Monday, raising suspicions over a Chinese cargo vessel, which the Danish navy is currently shadowing through the Kattegat strait between Denmark and Sweden.

Two telecommunications cables cut in the Baltic Sea in 48 hours prompted European officials to say Tuesday that they suspect "sabotage" and "hybrid warfare" linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine."Our European security is not only under threat from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine,