Retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax Wednesday that Russia and China are "probably" behind the severing of critical data cables in the Baltic Sea, an incident raising tensions across Europe and testing maritime law.
"So the way that they would work it, because of maritime law, is that they cannot take that ship, seize the ship, or take it back to port under these conditions," Holt, who is currently serving as deputy U.S. military representative to NATO, told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren."
"What they can do is surround the ship. They can board the ship. They can conduct a very limited investigation. And that's what they're attempting to do right now."
Holt's remarks come as European warships have surrounded the Yi Peng 3, a Chinese-owned bulk carrier, under investigation for over a week in international waters. The ship, laden with Russian fertilizer, is suspected of dragging its anchor for more than 100 miles across the Baltic seabed, damaging two critical undersea data cables, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Holt detailed the evidence investigators found and said, "It's pretty clear from the damage that they found to the anchor that it's consistent with dragging that anchor."
He added an analogy to emphasize the implausibility of the ship's crew not knowing what was happening: "It's like me with my C-17 aircraft having the landing gear down and claiming that I never knew that the landing gear was down. There are systems on the ship that let them know that they're dragging an anchor."
The investigation is now exploring whether the captain of the Yi Peng 3, which departed Russia's Ust-Luga port on Nov. 15, acted under orders from Russian intelligence to sabotage the cables. This incident aligns with a pattern of attacks on critical European infrastructure, which officials have linked to Russian operations.
Although no direct evidence has confirmed the involvement of state actors, Holt said Russia and China are "probably" behind the incident.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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