NATO has denounced attacks targeting vital infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region.
Following a series of undersea cable disruptions, NATO will bolster its military presence in the Baltic Sea, according to alliance chief Mark Rutte.
The secretary general’s announcement followed a Friday phone conversation with Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Helsinki initiated an investigation after damage to the Estlink 2 underwater power cable earlier this week.
“I expressed my complete solidarity and support. NATO will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea,” Rutte posted on X. He previously stated that the alliance “condemns all attacks on critical infrastructure.”
NATO regularly conducts naval exercises in the area and participates in air policing missions, involving fighter jets patrolling near Russia’s borders. Since 2014, the alliance has progressively increased its eastern flank forces, citing the Ukraine conflict.
The Estlink 2 cable, connecting Finland and Estonia, was damaged on Christmas Day. On Wednesday, Finnish authorities apprehended a Russian oil tanker, the Eagle S, suspecting its anchors severed the cable.
Finnish media reported the Egypt-bound, Cook Islands-flagged vessel executed unexplained maneuvers while traversing the Estlink 2.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and former Estonian prime minister, asserted the detained ship belongs to the “shadow fleet” employed by Moscow to circumvent oil sanctions.
Russia hasn’t responded to the incident but previously denounced sanctions as unwarranted and unlawful.
Last month, two Baltic Sea cables—a communications link between Finland and Germany, and another between Lithuania and Sweden—were cut in quick succession. A Chinese vessel, the Yi Peng 3, which transited the area around the time of the incidents, was suspected. China refutes Sweden’s claims of uncooperative behavior during the investigation.