NATO Baltic leaders seek to boost security after cable 'sabotage'

by Anna KORKMAN

NATO countries on the Baltic Sea met in Helsinki on Tuesday, looking to boost security following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables, widely blamed on Russia.

They are expected to announce a NATO patrol mission monitoring activity "below, above, and on the sea surface", researcher Iro Sarkka of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs told AFP.

Several undersea telecom and power cables have been severed in the Baltic Sea in recent months, with experts and politicians accusing Russia of orchestrating a hybrid war.

The sabotage has been blamed on a "shadow fleet" of vessels -- often aging and operating under opaque ownership -- that carry Russian crude oil and petroleum products, embargoed since the invasion of Ukraine.

Addressing the European Parliament, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed on Monday the need to make clear that "such hostile actions" and such efforts "will not go unanswered".

"We will also strengthen NATO's military presence in the region, and of course, we will discuss the shadow fleet and what to do about it. So we are responding and will continue to ensure no country can exploit us, control our infrastructure or disrupt our societies," Rutte said, adding that he would be attending the meeting.

"It's clear that we have to be better prepared for different kind of threats and we can see many hybrid threats around us," executive vice-president of the European Commission Henna Virkkunen told reporters after arriving at the summit on Tuesday.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said it was "totally unacceptable that these damages seem to have been increasing in numbers recently" but expressed caution in apportioning blame.

"We don't accuse anybody for anything so far. We don't do that easily without very firm proof," Kristersson said.

- 'Deterrent' -

Tuesday's meeting will focus on "strengthening of NATO's presence in the Baltic Sea and responding to the threat posed by Russia's shadow fleet", according to a statement from the office of Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Stubb is co-hosting the meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.

NATO said in late December it would increase its presence in the region following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables between Finland and Estonia but it has yet to announce an official operation.

"How long the potential operation will last and what kind of mandate it will have I assume will be revealed (on Tuesday)," Sarkka said.

"The actions in recent months related to the Russian shadow fleet and sabotage has prompted NATO to develop its maritime situational awareness in the Baltic Sea region," she added.

A comprehensive NATO operation would serve as a "deterrent and a strategic signal" that NATO is prepared to act in response to the recent activities, according to Sarkka.

Last week, Finland said NATO would contribute two vessels to a monitoring mission in the Baltic Sea.

The British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), which included Nordic and Baltic states as well as the Netherlands, also said it would increase its surveillance.

Sweden is sending up to three warships and a surveillance aircraft.

- Slew of incidents -

Tensions have mounted around the Baltic Sea since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In September 2022, a series of underwater blasts ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines that carried 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 it was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese cargo ship.

The most recent incident occurred on December 25, when the Estlink 2 electricity cable and four telecom cables linking Finland and Estonia were damaged.

That came just weeks after two telecom cables in Swedish waters were severed on November 17-18.

Suspicion over the Christmas Day incident has fallen on the Eagle S, a Cook Island-flagged oil tanker believed to be part of the "shadow fleet".

Finnish police seized the Eagle S on December 28 as part of a criminal investigation.

Finnish authorities last week deemed the ship unseaworthy following an inspection, barred it from sailing and have banned eight crew members from leaving the country while police carry out a probe.

Investigators suspect the cables were damaged by the tanker's anchor being dragged over them.