The I’LL TAKE will reinforce its military presence at sea Baltic after suspicions spread that an oil tanker coming from a Russian port sabotaged an underwater electrical cable between Estonia and Finland on Wednesday, as announced this Friday by the secretary general of the alliance, Mark Rutte.
Rutte spoke with the Finnish president, Alexander Stubbabout the “possible sabotage” of submarine cables in the area. “I have expressed all my solidarity and support. NATO will reinforce its military presence in the Baltic Sea,” he declared on the X social network.
The incident occurred this Wednesday, when the underwater electrical cable was damaged EstLink 2 between Finland and Estoniaboth members of NATO. Suspicions quickly pointed to a oil coming from Russiathe Eagle S, intercepted by the Finnish authorities.
For its part, Estonia announced this Friday the sending of naval patrols in the Baltic Sea to defend EstLink 1, another submarine cable that ensures its energy connection with Finland, located just 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, even with military means,” said Hanno Pevkur, the Estonian 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.
Stubb assured that the situation “is under control“. “We must continue to collaborate, vigilantly, to prevent our sensitive infrastructures from being damaged by external actors,” added the president.
Possible sabotage
On Wednesday, December 25, Estlink 2 was damaged, without affecting the Finnish electricity supply, according to national electricity distributor Fingrid.
Finnish police reported Thursday that they were investigating the alleged sabotage of the Eagle S oil tanker, which set sail from St. Petersburg and was supposed to head to Port Said, Egypt. The tanker, which sails under the flag of the Cook Islands, was taken off the Finnish port of Porkkala, 30 kilometers from Helsinki.
The ship is suspected of being part of a “ghost fleet” that helps Russia evade sanctions to its oil sector, established in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. Authorities specifically suspect that the tanker’s anchor may have damaged the underwater cable.
Several similar incidents have taken place in the Baltic Sea since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Recently, two communications cables were severed 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 Swedish authorities.
These acts, with the aim of damaging energy infrastructure and communication, are part of what experts and politicians describe as a “hybrid war” between Russia and Western countries.
