NATO sends two ships after submarine cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea

NATO will send two ships to monitor underwater infrastructure and Russia’s “stealth fleet” in the Baltic Sea after recent damage to submarine cables, the Finnish Foreign Minister announced on Friday.
The Estlink 2 power cable and four communications cables linking Finland and Estonia were damaged on Christmas Day, weeks after other cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea.

A hybrid war waged by Russia

European politicians and experts suspect actions that fall within the “hybrid war” waged by Russia.
In response, NATO announced at the end of 2024 that it would strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea.
Finnish Minister Elina Valtonen confirmed on Friday, “NATO will send two ships and we are also working to increase our other activities and presence in the region.”

Baltic Sea incidents

The British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) which includes units from the Nordic and Baltic countries, as well as the Netherlands, said Monday it would also strengthen its monitoring of underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea in response to the recent incidents.

Finnish police suspect that the Cook Islands-flagged oil tanker “Eagle S”, which is allegedly part of the “Ghost Fleet”, “sabotaged” the cables on Christmas Day.
The “Ghost Fleet” is a term that refers to old, poorly secured ships that operate under foreign flags, and Russia is accused of using them to circumvent Western sanctions to transport its oil under the embargo.
On December 28, the Finnish police detained the Eagle S ship as part of an investigation on charges of “sabotage”, while it was anchored in Porvoo, east of Helsinki.
The authorities prevented eight crew members from leaving Finland during police investigations.

NATO summit

Valtonen stated, “Finland has been concerned for some time about the risks to the environment and maritime security posed by this fleet, which is used by Russia.”
“It is clear that the stealth fleet also poses a threat to critical underwater infrastructure,” she added.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michel will host a summit of NATO countries bordering the Baltic Sea in Helsinki next Tuesday, to discuss the security situation in the region.