Helsinki (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – NATO increases Baltic Sea patrols amid investigation into possible Russian sabotage of undersea cables and pipelines.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has stated that the military coalition will step up patrols in the Baltic Sea as investigators in Finland operate to verify whether a ship tied to Russia damaged undersea cables in the area earlier week. Nations in the region have been on watch following a string of happenings involving harm to undersea cables and gas channels in the Baltic Sea since 2022, widely considered to be acts of sabotage.
Earlier, Finnish authorities seized and boreaded control of the vessel, the Eagle S, which they doubted of causing harm to an undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia. Cook Islands-flagged Eagle S, has been defined by Finnish customs and EU officials as being a component of Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers exporting oil and gas in defiance of international sanctions levied over the fighting in Ukraine.
In a tweet on X, Rutte stated that he had talked to Finland’s President Alexander Stubb
“about the continued Finnish-led investigation into likely sabotage of undersea cables.”
Rutte stated that
“NATO will improve its military sight in the Baltic Sea.”
After a high-level discussion about the happening, Stubb posted on X that
“the circumstances are under control. We have no reason to be worried,”
adding that the inquiry persists.
Spoke w/ @alexstubb about the ongoing Finnish-led investigation into possible sabotage of undersea cables. I expressed my full solidarity and support. #NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea.
— Mark Rutte (@SecGenNATO) December 27, 2024
He stated that Finland and Estonia had asked for extra NATO help. He stated new steps could include “reviews of the insurance certificates of ships” in the area.
Stubb added that
“we are also examining ways, based on international maritime regulation, to react more effectively to similar incidents in the future.”
How did undersea infrastructure become a target in conflict?
Nations in the region have been on warning following a string of incidents affecting undersea lines and gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea since 2022. Two data cables one operating between Germany and Finland and the other between Lithuania and Sweden were harmed in November.
In November 2024, two undersea telecommunications cables connecting Finland with Germany and Lithuania with Sweden were damaged. The C-Lion1 cable, which links Helsinki to Rostock, Germany, was seriously affected. Earlier in October 2023, a Finnish-Estonian gas pipeline was harmed after a Chinese cargo vessel reportedly lowered its anchor on it. This incident occurred amid a wave of similar disruptions in the region since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. In November 2023, two telecommunication cables were also cut near Sweden’s territorial waters, further escalating concerns over the safety of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
