NATO increases Baltic Sea patrols sfter underwater cable sabotage

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced on X, that NATO will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea after an act of sabotage targeted an underwater power cable connecting Finland and Estonia earlier this week.

“Spoke with (Finnish President) Alexander Stubb 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,” he wrote.

According to Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, the Estonian Defense Forces have launched a naval operation to protect the underwater power cable Estlink 1 in the Baltic Sea after a parallel power line was damaged earlier this week.

Estonian broadcaster ERR reported that the patrol vessel Raju has been dispatched to the waters where Estlink 1 is located, with the country expressing hope that NATO allies will also deploy ships to the area.

“The damage to underwater infrastructure in the region has become so frequent that it’s hard to believe it’s merely due to accidents or poor maritime practices,” Tsahkna said.

“If there is a threat to the critical undersea infrastructure in our region, there will also be a response,” Tsahkna wrote on X.

Russian сonnection

Finland has detained a vessel carrying Russian oil on suspicion that it caused the disruption of the Estlink 2 subsea power cable, which, like Estlink 1, links Finland and Estonia. The vessel also allegedly damaged four internet lines.

Finnish investigators believe that a ship from Russia’s shadow fleet, registered under the Cook Islands and named Eagle S, may have inflicted the damage by dragging its anchor across the seabed. This incident is one of several similar occurrences in recent years.

According to operators Fingrid and Elering, the disconnection of the 658-megawatt Estlink 2 line began at noon local time on December 25, leaving only the 358-megawatt Estlink 1 line operational between the two countries.

Countries in the Baltic Sea region remain on high alert for acts of sabotage following a series of disruptions to power cables, telecommunications lines, and gas pipelines since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.