NATO bolsters its presence in the Baltic Sea following a recent incident of suspected Russian sabotage

NATO will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea, its secretary general announced Friday, after suspicions that an oil tanker from a Russian port sabotaged an underwater power cable between Estonia and Finland on Wednesday.

Atlantic Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke to Finnish President Alexander Stubb about the "possible sabotage" of undersea cables in the area.

"I have expressed to him all my solidarity and support. NATO will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea," Rutte stated on his X profile.

The most recent incident occurred this Wednesday, when the EstLink2 undersea power cable between Finland and Estonia, both NATO members, was damaged. Suspicion swiftly fell on a Russian oil tanker, the Eagle S, which was intercepted by Finnish authorities.

On Friday, Estonia announced the deployment of naval patrols in the Baltic Sea to protect EstLink 1, another undersea cable that ensures its energy connection with neighboring Finland 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 to indicate that we are ready to defend the connections between Estonia and Finland, even with military means," said Hanno Pevkur, the Estonian defense minister.

Pevkur 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 European NATO forces.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb assured that the situation "is under control. We must continue to work together, vigilantly, to prevent our sensitive infrastructures from being damaged by external actors," he added.

The EU and NATO expressed their support for Finland on Thursday.

Investigation into "sabotage" continues

On Wednesday, December 25, the Estlink 2 submarine power cable was damaged but did not affect the Finnish electricity supply, according to national electricity distributor Fingrid.

Finnish police said Thursday they were investigating for alleged sabotage of the Eagle S tanker, which sailed from St. Petersburg and was supposed to head to Port Said in Egypt.

The tanker, sailing under the Cook Islands flag, was taken off the Finnish port of Porkkala, almost 20 miles from Helsinki.

The vessel is suspected of being part of a "ghost fleet" helping Russia evade sanctions on its oil sector, instituted in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.

Authorities specifically suspect that the tanker's anchor may have damaged the undersea cable.

Several similar incidents took place in the Baltic Sea since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Most recently, two communications cables were severed on November 17 and 18 in Swedish waters.

A freighter sailing under a Chinese flag, the Yi Peng 3 - which was in the area at the time of the incident - was investigated by Swedish authorities.

These acts, aimed at damaging energy and communication infrastructures, are part of what experts and politicians describe as a "hybrid war" between Russia and Western countries.