Nato to boost military presence in Baltic after cables ‘sabotage’

BRUSSELS, Belgium: Nato will bolster its military presence in the Baltic Sea after the suspected sabotage of an undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia this week, the Western military alliance´s chief Mark Rutte said on Friday.

On Christmas Day, the Estlink 2 submarine cable that carries electricity from Finland to Estonia was disconnected from the grid, just over a month after two telecommunications cables were severed in Swedish territorial waters in the Baltic.

Finnish authorities on Thursday said they were investigating the oil tanker, Eagle S, that sailed from a Russian port, as part of a probe for “aggravated sabotage”.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Friday: “We´ve got the situation under control, and we have to continue to work together vigilantly to make sure that our critical infrastructure is not damaged by outsiders.”

Officials suspect the tanker is part of the Russian “shadow fleet”, which refers to ships that transport Russian crude and oil products embargoed due to Russia´s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Eagle S vessel, which flies under 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 might have damaged the power cable.

Rutte said he spoke to President Stubb about Finland´s probe, adding in a post on X: “I expressed my full solidarity and support. Nato will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea.”

Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur earlier on Friday said on X that the country began naval patrols to protect the undersea cable supplying electricity from Finland.

In a separate statement he said Tallinn wanted to send a clear message it was ready to protect its power connections with Finland with military and non-military means.

Rutte on Thursday promised Nato support to Estonia and Finland, and condemned attacks on critical infrastructure after speaking to Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal. The European Union has also threatened further sanctions against Russia´s shadow fleet after this week´s incident.