Proving sabotage is difficult and requires significant evidence or testimonies to support the finding, say investigators, prosecutors and officials involved in the investigations. To issue an arrest warrant or bring a case, prosecutors must provide substantial evidence of intentional wrongdoing, rather than an accidental and unnoticed dropping of an anchor.
“Even if you show it was deliberate, it’s extremely unlikely you’ll find a paper trail linking the incident to a state actor,” said Elisabeth Braw, an expert in combat below the threshold of warfare, who is writing a book on subsea geopolitical conflict.
The difficulties of prosecuting such cases are frustrating Western officials who are trying to combat what they say is a hybrid war against critical infrastructure in the West that they blame on Russia.
Lol. Putin has shown repeatedly how much he respects treaties and laws.