NATO vows to increase its presence in the Baltics, after suspicions of sabotage

2024-12-27 21:37:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

NATO said on Friday it would increase its presence in the Baltic Sea after underwater internet lines and power cables were damaged in a suspected act of sabotage, believed to have been carried out by ships of the so-called "dark fleet". Russia.

Estonia also announced on Friday that it has launched a naval operation to protect an important power line in the Baltic Sea in coordination with allies.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a social media post after a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb that "NATO will increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea."

Both Finland and Estonia have coasts on the Baltic Sea.

When asked about details of the planned actions, NATO officials told The Associated Press that the alliance "remains open and is working to provide further support, including increasing our military presence" in the region.

"We have agreed with Estonia and we have also communicated to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that our desire is to have a greater NATO presence," Stubb told a news conference.

Stubb added that investigators do not want to jump to conclusions, but he said a day earlier that "it is necessary to be able to prevent the dangers posed by ships belonging to Russia's 'dark fleet'."

The "dark fleet" refers to old and uninsured ships that are typically used to circumvent Western sanctions against Russia, as well as to maintain a source of income.

European governments and the United States have accused Russia of increasing "hybrid attacks" following reports of damage to communications cables in the Baltic Sea, although they have yet to directly blame Moscow for the damage.

NATO has stepped up surveillance of critical infrastructure in the Baltics following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the destruction of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline seven months later.

Ships linked to China have also been suspected of sabotaging underwater infrastructure in recent years.

Sweden - NATO's newest member, which also has a coastline in the Baltic Sea - said its coast guard had increased surveillance of maritime traffic and deployed aircraft and ships in cooperation with regional allies.

The European Commission said on December 26 that a cargo ship suspected of deliberately damaging power and internet cables in the Baltic Sea was part of Russia's "dark fleet"./REL