STOCKHOLM/WARSAW: European governments accused Russia on Tuesday of escalating hybrid attacks on Ukraine’s Western allies, as Baltic nations investigated whether the cutting of two fibre-optic telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea was sabotage.

European officials have not directly accused Russia of destroying the cables. But Germany, Poland and others said it was likely an act of sabotage, while Lithuania’s armed forces boosted surveillance of its waters in response.

“Moscow’s escalating hybrid activities against NATO and EU countries are also unprecedented in their variety and scale, creating significant security risks,” the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Britain said in a statement.