The Belgium-led NATO group is currently patrolling in the Baltic Sea near Estonia after a series of sabotages in strategic waters.
The Baltic Sea has been at the heart of geopolitical tensions, especially since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It is also an important area for NATO, especially with the presence of a large number of submarine communication cables.
These are regularly threatened by ships suspected of having ties to Russian “shadow fleet” vessels.
NATO said in January it would protect critical infrastructure from sabotage to enhance military presence and technological innovation in the Baltic Sea, the head of the Trans-Atlantic Alliance said at Helsinki Summit.
Protecting infrastructure is “the most important,” Secretary General Mark Latte told reporters, citing 95% of the energy from the pipeline and internet traffic protected via submarine cables.
It happens between Germany and Finland, and after other cables between Estonia and Finland, after the cables are damaged between Lithuania and Sweden.
The investigation is ongoing, but the NATO executive director believes there is a source of serious concern.
“We’ve seen elements of a campaign that destabilizes society through cyberattacks, assassination attempts and sabotage,” Latte said, the perpetrator, presumably Russia.
In response, NATO has increased surveillance via a fleet of small maritime drones, but the enhanced surveillance operations called the “Baltic Sentry” include frigates and maritime patrol aircraft.
“If critical infrastructure in our neighborhood is at risk, we will respond decisively. We need both national and international action to protect it,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb said.
Leaders of NATO countries in the Baltic Sea have pledged to seek robust enforcement, particularly with regard to the Russian “shadow fleet” of tankers that Moscow used to avoid Western sanctions on oil sales.
Aging vessels with ambiguous ownership often run on a daily basis without Western-regulated insurance.
