EU threatens Russian sanctions after alleged cable sabotage
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 26 December 2024
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Finnish police have boarded a ship which they believe was operating as part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet. The Lithuanian defence minister, Dovilė Šakalienė, tells Newshour she wants to see additional US sanctions on Russia. Also on the programme: the new authorities in Syria have carried out an offensive against militias loyal to the deposed president Bashar al-Assad; and the Bald Eagle has been officially named as America's national bird - we speak to a man who campaigned for the recognition. (Photo: European Union flags fly outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels. Credit: REUTERS/Yves Herman)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to Newsar from the BBC World Service, brought to you live from London with me John Donison. |
| 0:10.1 | And coming up, a post-Christmas quiz for the amateur ornithologist out there. |
| 0:15.0 | What bird is this? |
| 0:29.7 | Well, you can find out in about 20 minutes time and why that particular bird has been in the news this week. |
| 0:33.0 | But we're going to start the programme in the Baltic. |
| 0:37.3 | The fear amongst many of the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland is that once Russia is finished with Ukraine, they could be next in Vladimir Putin's sites. |
| 0:43.3 | Already they accused the Russian bear of poking them. |
| 0:46.3 | Finnish authorities are investigating whether a Russian ship was involved in the sabotage of electricity and data cables running between Finland and Estonia |
| 0:55.5 | under the Baltic Sea. The vessel is thought to be part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet, |
| 1:02.4 | which is made up of ships that carry embargoed Russian oil products. |
| 1:06.4 | Well, Finland's National Police Commissioner Ilka Koj Kikm, told a news conference in Helsinki that they'd seized the ship suspected of causing the damage. |
| 1:17.9 | There is reason to suspect that this vessel, registered in the Cook Islands, has caused damage to this S-link power cable. |
| 1:25.1 | But in addition, we also suspect that other cables have been damaged. |
| 1:29.2 | These investigations are currently ongoing. We're in a very good situation as the authorities |
| 1:34.2 | have detained the vessel and it is within Finnish territorial waters, meaning the conditions |
| 1:39.2 | for the preliminary investigation are excellent. Well, Moscow hasn't commented today, but in the past has dismissed |
| 1:47.2 | accusations after similar incidents. Another Baltic country also pointing the finger at Russia is |
| 1:52.9 | Lithuania. Davilae Shakaljanei is the Lithuanian defence minister. Does she believe that this |
| 1:59.4 | was an act of sabotage? |
| 2:07.6 | It's too early to say yet definitely, but when we look at the pattern of these incidents related to critical infrastructure in Baltic Sea, there are too many similarities to regard |
| 2:13.5 | it easily as accidents. So, first of all, whenever we have the incidents related to data |
| 2:20.6 | cables or electric connections or gas pipelines, there is always a ship related to Russia floating |
... |
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