NATO will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea following the suspected sabotage of an undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia this week, Western military alliance chief Mark Rutte said on Friday.
On Christmas Day, the Estlink 2 undersea cable, which carries electricity from Finland to Estonia, was disconnected from the electricity grid, just over a month after two telecommunications cables were cut in Swedish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea.
Finnish authorities said on Thursday they were investigating the Eagle S oil tanker, which sailed from a Russian port, as part of an investigation into “aggravated sabotage”.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Friday: “We have the situation under control and we must continue to work together vigilantly to ensure that our critical infrastructure is not damaged by outsiders.”
Officials suspect the tanker is part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” which refers to ships carrying Russian crude oil and oil products that are under embargo due to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Eagle S ship, which flies the flag of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific, was en route to Port Said in Egypt. Police suspect that the oil tanker’s anchor may have damaged the power cable.
Rutte said he spoke to President Stubb about the Finnish investigation, adding in a message on X: “I have expressed my full solidarity and support. NATO will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea.”
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said earlier on Friday on X that the country has started naval patrols to protect the submarine cable that supplies electricity from Finland.
In a separate statement, he said Tallinn wanted to send a clear message that it was willing to protect its power connections with Finland through military and non-military means.
Rutte pledged NATO support to Estonia and Finland on Thursday and condemned attacks on critical infrastructure after a conversation with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
– More EU sanctions –
The European Union has also threatened further sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet following this week’s incident.
The bloc’s 27 member states agreed earlier this month to blacklist about 50 additional oil tankers from Russia’s shadow fleet used to evade Western sanctions, bringing the targeted number to about 80.
Ukraine’s international backers have tried to curb resources going to the Kremlin’s war machine by imposing a price ceiling and restrictions on Russia’s key oil exports.
To get around the measures, Russia has resorted to using a so-called “shadow fleet” of often outdated ships operating under questionable ownership or without proper insurance.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, tensions around the Baltic Sea have increased.
In September 2022, a series of underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines carrying 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.
On November 17 and 18 this year, parts of two telecom cables were cut in Swedish territorial waters. Suspicions have been raised against the Yi Peng 3, which according to ship tracking sites sailed over the cables around the time they were cut.
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