NATO deploys ships to patrol Baltic, safeguard undersea cables
NATO plans to bolster its military presence in the Baltic Sea by deploying ships to protect underwater infrastructure in the region, according to a report by Finnish public broadcaster Yle. The operation is set to begin at the end of the week.
According to Yle, about 10 NATO ships are expected to arrive in the Baltic Sea and remain in the region until April.
The Gulf of Finland will continue to be mainly patrolled by Estonian and Finnish ships, though vessels from other NATO member countries will also arrive in the Baltic.
The ships will be deployed near underwater cables and are intended to serve as a deterrent, reducing the risk of further sabotage in the area.
Damaged cables in the Baltic
On December 30, NATO decided to increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea to protect infrastructure following recent damage to underwater cables between Estonia and Finland.
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), which includes ten NATO member countries, announced on Monday in a joint statement that they will use artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor ship movements near key infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
Finnish authorities suspect that the Eagle S, a tanker registered in the Cook Islands, dragged its anchor along the seabed on Christmas Day. This cut the EstLink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia and may have damaged four other data cables.
Eagle S is considered one of the main elements of the so-called "shadow fleet," which Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions imposed due to its military aggression against Ukraine.
