NATO strengthens Baltic Sea defenses amid Russian sabotage

NATO permanent representatives agreed in Brussels to strengthen the protection of underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

NATO is increasing its military presence in the Baltic Sea and is activating new measures to protect critical underwater infrastructure. This is reported by Ukrinform.

This decision was made during a meeting of the permanent representatives of the Alliance member states in Brussels after an incident with damage to the submarine cables connecting Estonia and Finland.

In order to strengthen security, the Alliance is increasing its military presence in the Baltic Sea. In addition, the allies are considering additional measures to protect critical infrastructure, in particular with the help of the NATO Maritime Center for Underwater Infrastructure Security, established in May 2024.

As a reminder, on December 25, Fingrid, which operates the Finnish electricity grid, announced a malfunction of the Estlink 2 submarine cable. This led to a power outage between Estonia and Finland. Four internet lines were also damaged.

During the investigation, the Finnish coast guard detained the Cook Islands-registered tanker Eagle S, which was carrying Russian oil. It is suspected of involvement in the cable damage. According to MarineTraffic, the tanker was in the area where the cable runs at the time of the accident. The investigation is ongoing. As USM wrote, Estonia sent a patrol ship the day before to protect underwater infrastructure.