In plain sight The little red cabin housing a key European datacentre

Stockholm archipelago

- Miranda Bryant

At the end of an unmarked path on a tiny island at the edge of Stockholm's extensive Baltic Sea archipelago lies an inconspicuous little wooden cabin, painted a deep shade of red. The site offers few clues to the geopolitical drama that has gripped Scandinavia in recent months, driven by accusations of infrastructure sabotage. But in fact the cabin houses a key cog in Europe's digital connectivity: a datacentre that amplifies the signal from a 1,615-mile fibre-optic cable running from Sweden to Berlin.

Last month, two nearby fibre-optic cables were severed, prompting a continuing investigation by Swedish authorities. Western intelligence officials from multiple countries have said they are confident a Chinese ship caused the cuts after leaving the Russian port of Ust-Luga, though views differ on whether the cuts were intentional.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Sweden has experienced a rise in hybrid warfare - attacks using methods other than traditional military action - blamed on pro-Russia groups.