Finland/Estonia Nato strengthens its presence in the Baltic Sea after suspected Russian sabotage
Following the suspected sabotage of another submarine cable in the Baltic Sea, NATO is increasing its military presence in the area. Russia, which has been waging war on Ukraine for almost three years, is suspected of being behind the action.
27.12.2024, 17:47
SDA
He had spoken to Finland's President Alexander Stubb about the investigations following the damage to an underwater power cable between Finland and Estonia and expressed his "full solidarity and support", said Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte on Friday in the online service X. "Nato will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea", Rutte emphasized.
Damage was discovered on the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia on Christmas Day. The Finnish authorities suspect that the anchor of an oil tanker launched from St. Petersburg in Russia damaged the cable running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Finland stopped the suspected tanker "Eagle S" and escorted it into Finnish waters.
The Finnish authorities are investigating on suspicion of "serious sabotage". Just a month ago, two important telecommunications cables were damaged within a few hours of each other in the Baltic Sea; in this case, a Chinese freighter came under suspicion.
Estonia sends patrol boats
According to Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, Estonia began patrols on Friday to guard the Estlink 2 power cable. Tallinn is prepared to protect its power lines from Finland with military means, emphasized Pevkur.
Finnish President Stubb emphasized that his government would work with its partners to ensure "that our critical infrastructure is not damaged by external actors".
Finnish investigators suspect that the suspicious tanker "Eagle S" belongs to the so-called Russian shadow fleet, which Russia uses to circumvent the oil embargo imposed two years ago in the course of the war in Ukraine. For the shadow fleet, Russia uses tankers sailing under a foreign flag to export crude oil and oil products despite the international sanctions.
According to the Finnish national power grid operator Fingrid, the power supply in the country has not been affected despite the damage to the undersea cable.
The company is in the process of assessing the damage using electrical measurements from land, Tuomas Rauhala from Fingrid told the AFP news agency on Friday. The repair work could take around seven months.
Series of suspected Russian actions
The incident occurred just over a month after two telecommunications cables were damaged in Swedish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea. Suspicion fell on the Chinese-flagged cargo ship "Yi Peng 3", which was in the area at the time.
Since the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine in February 2022, tensions in the Baltic Sea region have increased significantly. In September 2022, the Nord Stream pipeline between Russia and Europe was severely damaged by several explosions. The case has still not been solved.
In October 2023, a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia had to be closed after it was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese freighter.
