NATO will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea after the alleged destruction of an undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia this week, the Western military alliance’s chief Mark Rutte said on Friday.
On Christmas Day, the Estlink 2 submarine cable carrying electricity from Finland to Estonia was disconnected from the grid, just over a month after two communication lines were cut in Swedish territory in Baltic waters.
Finnish authorities on Thursday said they were investigating an oil tanker, the Eagle S, which was leaving a Russian port, as part of an investigation into “sabotage”.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Friday: “We have the situation under control, and we must continue to cooperate carefully to ensure that our critical infrastructure is not harmed by outsiders.”
Officials suspect that the ship is part of Russia’s “shadow fleet”, meaning vessels transporting Russian crude and oil banned due to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Eagle S, which flies the flag of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific, was on its way to Port Said in Egypt. The police suspect that the anchor of the oil tanker may have damaged the power line.
Rutte said he spoke with President Stubb about the Finnish investigation, adding in a post on X: “I expressed my solidarity and full support. NATO will increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea.”
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said earlier on Friday that the country had started patrolling ships to protect the undersea cable supplying electricity from Finland.
In a separate statement, he said Tallinn wants to send a clear message that it is ready to protect its energy links with Finland through military and non-military means.
Rutte on Thursday pledged NATO support to Estonia and Finland, and condemned attacks on critical infrastructure after speaking with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
– More EU sanctions –
The European Union also threatened further sanctions against Russian shadow vessels after this week’s incident.
The bloc’s 27 member states agreed earlier this month to delist 50 oil tankers belonging to the Russian fleet used to evade Western sanctions, taking the target number to 80.
Ukraine’s international backers are looking to curb money going to the Kremlin’s war machine by imposing tariffs and restrictions on key oil exports to Russia.
To circumvent these measures, Russia has resorted to using so-called “shadow fleets” of often aging vessels operating under dubious ownership or without proper insurance.
Tensions have been high in the Baltic since Russia invaded Ukraine.
In September 2022, a series of underwater explosions blew up the Nord Stream pipeline that carries Russian gas to Europe, the cause of which has yet to be determined.
In October 2023, an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down after a Chinese cargo ship’s anchor was damaged.
On November 17 and 18 this year, parts of two telephone lines were cut off in Swedish waters. Suspicion is directed at the Yi Peng 3, which according to the ship’s tracking sites, ran over the cables when they were cut.
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