Norwegian authorities have released the Silver Dania, a Norwegian-owned, Russian-crewed vessel that was initially suspected of damaging an underwater fiber-optic cable connecting Latvia and Sweden’s Gotland island.

Following an investigation prompted by a request from Latvian authorities, Norwegian police found no evidence linking the ship to the incident.

“Tromsø police district has now conducted a number of investigative steps and secured what we see as necessary considering the request from Latvia. The investigation will continue, but we see no reason for the ship to remain in Tromsø any longer,” police attorney Ronny Jorgensen stated on Friday.

Investigation and Inspection

The Silver Dania was detained on Thursday evening while sailing between the Russian ports of St. Petersburg and Murmansk. It was escorted to Tromsø by the Norwegian Coast Guard for inspection. Authorities conducted searches and interviews with the crew but did not find any evidence linking the vessel to the cable damage.

The ship’s owner, SilverSea CEO Tormod Fossmark, denied any involvement in the incident. “We have no involvement in this whatsoever,” Fossmark told The Associated Press. “We did not have any anchors out or do anything, so that will be confirmed today,” he added, referencing the investigation. Fossmark also noted that the ship’s tracking data showed no irregularities, and the vessel, which was not carrying cargo at the time, was expected to continue its journey later that day.

Suspected Cable Damage in the Baltic Sea

The damaged data transmission cable, which runs from Ventspils, Latvia, to Gotland, Sweden, was discovered on Sunday. Swedish prosecutors have since launched a preliminary investigation into suspected sabotage.

Another vessel, the Malta-flagged Vezhen, was also detained in connection with the damage. The ship’s Bulgarian owner admitted that the vessel may have accidentally caused a cable to break but denied any deliberate sabotage.

Authorities in Sweden, Latvia, and Norway continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the damage to the fiber-optic cable, as concerns grow over the security of critical underwater infrastructure in the region.

Kyiv, Ukraine – North Korean troops stationed in Russia’s Kursk region have not been seen on the frontlines for several weeks, according to a Ukrainian military official, suggesting they may have been withdrawn after suffering significant casualties.

Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, told CNN on Friday that Pyongyang’s forces had likely retreated.

“The presence of DPRK troops has not been observed for about three weeks, and they were probably forced to withdraw after suffering heavy losses,” Kindratenko said.

Heavy Casualties and Tactical Withdrawals

Reports from Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence indicate that about 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, with around 4,000 either killed or injured. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has also claimed that some North Korean units have been pulled back due to the scale of their losses.

North Korean troops had been deployed to Kursk since at least November to help Russian forces repel Ukrainian incursions in the southern border region.

“We are still in the Kursk region… the Russian forces were not enough to push us out,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week.

Zelensky stated that Russia had 60,000 troops in the Kursk region, while 12,000 North Koreans had been stationed there. He also noted that one-third of the North Korean soldiers had been killed in combat.

North Korean Troops Used as “Cannon Fodder”

Despite reports of strong discipline and good marksmanship, North Korean soldiers have struggled against modern warfare tactics, including the use of combat drones.

“They are prepared for the realities of war in 1980 at best,” said a commander from Ukraine’s 6th Special Operations Forces Regiment, who spoke anonymously to CNN.

Ukrainian forces have also described brutal, near-suicidal tactics employed by North Korean troops. Some have detonated grenades rather than be captured, while others have left written pledges of allegiance to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the battlefield.

Russia appears to have deployed North Koreans as foot soldiers, using them for mass ground assaults despite mounting losses in Kursk.

Ukraine Gains Ground as Russia Retakes a Village

Ukraine has recently advanced in Kursk, according to a battlefield update from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on January 26. However, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed earlier this week that Russian forces had recaptured Nikolayevo-Daryino, a village on the Russia-Ukraine border.

Moscow and Pyongyang Silent on Deployment

Neither Russia nor North Korea have officially acknowledged the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.

However, their growing military alliance was reinforced last year when Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin signed a landmark defense pact, pledging to provide immediate military assistance if either country was attacked.

The agreement, seen as a revival of their 1961 Cold War-era mutual defense pledge, has fueled concerns about increased cooperation between the two nations as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on.