NATO will step up its military presence in the Baltic Sea, its Secretary General announced on Friday (27), following suspicions that an oil tanker from a Russian port sabotaged an underwater power cable between Estonia and Finland on Wednesday (25). The case is worrying several European countries that use the route to supply energy, and has the air of international sabotage, with the possible presence of a “ghost fleet” that would help Russia damage the material.
(RFI) The head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Mark Rutte, spoke with Finnish President Alexander Stubb about the “possible sabotage” of submarine cables in the region. “I expressed my full solidarity and support. NATO will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea,” Rutte said on the X social network.
The most recent incident occurred on Wednesday, when the Estlink2 submarine power cable between Finland and Estonia, both NATO member countries, was damaged. Suspicions quickly turned to an oil tanker from Russia, the Eagle S, which was intercepted by the Finnish authorities.
Estonia announced on Friday that it was deploying naval patrols in the Baltic Sea to defend Estlink 1, another submarine cable that ensures its energy connection with Finland, located to the north. “Of course, the investigation must determine all the details of the damage to the Estlink 2 cable,” but ‘we must send a clear message that we are ready to defend the connections between Estonia and Finland, including with military means,’ said Hanno Pevkur, Estonia’s defense minister.
The minister insisted that Estonian forces are also prepared to prevent attacks with non-military means, and clarified that he is in contact with Finland and the commander of NATO’s European forces.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb assured that the situation “is under control”. “We must continue to collaborate vigilantly to prevent our sensitive infrastructure from being damaged by external actors,” he added. The EU and NATO have been expressing their support for Finland since Thursday.
“Sabotage”
On Wednesday (25), the Estlink 2 submarine power cable was damaged, without affecting the Finnish power supply, according to the national electricity distributor Fingrid.
The Finnish police said on Thursday that they were investigating the alleged sabotage of the oil tanker Eagle S, which sailed from St. Petersburg to Port Said in Egypt. The tanker, which sails under the flag of the Cook Islands, was removed from the Finnish port of Porkkala, 30 km from Helsinki.
“Ghost fleet”
The ship is suspected of being part of a “ghost fleet” that helps Russia evade sanctions on its oil sector, imposed in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.
The authorities specifically suspect that the tanker’s anchor may have damaged the submarine cable.
Several similar incidents have occurred in the Baltic Sea since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Recently, two communication cables were cut on November 17 and 18 in Swedish territorial waters.
A cargo ship sailing under the Chinese flag, the Yi Peng 3 – which was in the area at the time of the incident – was investigated by the Swedish authorities.
These acts, aimed at damaging energy and communications infrastructure, are part of what experts and politicians describe as a “hybrid war” between Russia and Western countries.