NATO strengthens defenses in the Baltic Sea due to increased Russian activity

The Baltic countries, Scandinavia, Poland, Germany, as well as France and the Netherlands joined the operation.

Poland has recorded a sharp increase in Russian activity in the Baltic Sea and initiated the multinational operation “Baltic Sentinel”. This was reported by the country’s Defense Minister Vladislav Kosyniak-Kamysh, writes “Ukrinform”.

Russian actions included damage to underwater cables, provocations and violation of airspace over economic zones, which poses a direct threat to the critical maritime infrastructure of the region.

Kosyniak-Kamysh stressed that Poland will develop capabilities in the field of surface and underwater drones. In turn, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that Poland will receive 43.7 billion euros under the SAFE program and will involve Ukrainian manufacturers in the joint production of drones, including naval ones.

Against this backdrop, NATO is deploying the Baltic Sentry mission to strengthen the protection of undersea cables and energy infrastructure after a series of sabotage attacks in the Baltic Sea. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that the presence of NATO forces in the region will be “radically increased”.

The day before, USM reported that Russian ships are actively collecting data on undersea cables in Europe.