An undersea fibre optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Sunday morning, probably as a result of “external influence”, LSM, the Latvian public broadcaster, reported, citing the cable operator.

The Latvian Navy sent a patrol to inspect a vessel that possibly caused the damage and was co-ordinating with Nato, LSM reported.

Evika Silina, the Latvian prime minister, called an extraordinary government meeting.

The cable linked the Latvian town of Ventspils with Sweden’s Gotland island, Latvian State Radio and Television Centre said.

Nato boosted its presence in the Baltic Sea in late December, after a vessel damaged a power cable and four communications cables between Estonia and Finland.

In 2023 and 2024, vessels sailing to or from Russia damaged a gas pipeline and undersea cables in the Baltic Sea in what Western officials have said could be intentional sabotage.