NATO to strengthen Baltic Sea presence following cable damage incidents

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said that NATO member states are planning to bolster their presence in the Baltic Sea following incidents involving damaged cables.

Stubb made these remarks during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Earlier on the same day, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also called for increased security in the Baltic Sea.

"Security in the Baltic Sea must be strengthened. We have proposed using NATO forces and national units for this purpose," he stated.

"When it comes to breaches of security in the Baltic Sea, countries must be prepared, as Finland has done, to respond firmly—by stopping ships, detaining crews, and determining who is responsible."

Tusk added that these measures are crucial because no one will be able to control every square metre of the Baltic Sea.

He emphasised that it is also necessary to monitor the Danish straits and track supply chains.

Tusk's statements were voiced ahead of his trip to Helsinki for a meeting of NATO heads of state and government from Germany, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The leaders will convene to discuss security issues concerning underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

At the end of December, Finnish authorities detained the tanker Eagle S, which they suspect of damaging the Estlink 2 electricity cable between Finland and Estonia. Finnish officials have not ruled out that the tanker may also be involved in the damage of four underwater international telecommunications networks in the Gulf of Finland. According to the police, the crew of the vessel consists of citizens of India and Georgia. 

Finnish customs reports that the Eagle S, registered in the Cook Islands, belongs to Russia's shadow fleet. While announcing the new operation, Rutte highlighted that over 95 per cent of internet traffic travels through underwater cables, with 1.3 million kilometres of cables facilitating daily financial transactions worth approximately $10 trillion.

"We in the alliance have observed elements attempting to destabilise our societies through cyberattacks, assassination attempts, and sabotage, including attacks on underwater cables in the Baltic Sea," Rutte said.

He emphasised that NATO’s adversaries must understand that the alliance will not tolerate attacks on its critical infrastructure.

Rutte reassured that NATO will do everything in its power to resist these threats, regain control of the situation, and take further measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

By Naila Huseynova