NATO announced an increased presence in the Baltic Sea following damage to cables.

Members of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) have decided to enhance the military presence of the bloc in the Baltic Sea. This decision has been made to protect infrastructure following the recent damage to underwater cables connecting Estonia and Finland.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing the NATO website.

In a statement from the Alliance, it was noted that bloc members discussed the security of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea during a meeting on December 30 at NATO headquarters, following the damage to underwater cables between the two countries on December 25.

"The damage to the cables, which is under investigation by Finnish authorities, is one of several recent incidents in the Baltic Sea that are being considered as potential sabotage," the Alliance stated.

Ally countries expressed "full solidarity" with Estonia and Finland following the maritime incident.

"In order to maintain vigilance, increase situational awareness, and prevent future incidents, NATO is bolstering its military presence in the Baltic Sea," the bloc's statement said.

Additionally, it was stated that NATO members are also considering "other measures" to address potential threats to critical underwater infrastructure. In particular, with the support of the NATO Maritime Center for Critical Underwater Infrastructure Security, established in May, the Alliance added.

Damage to Cables in the Baltic Sea

It was previously reported that on December 25, Finland announced damage to an underwater electric cable connecting it to Estonia, located in the Baltic Sea.

According to the Finnish national grid operator Fingrid at that time, the underwater electric cable Estlink 2, which connects Finland and Estonia, was damaged. It later became known that two communication cables of the Elisa group were also affected, along with one from CITIC Telecom.

On December 26, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas stated that the country plans to enhance the protection of critical infrastructure following the cable incident in the Gulf of Finland (a gulf in the eastern Baltic Sea, washing the shores of Finland, Estonia, and Russia). NATO allies may be involved in this effort.

Finland does not rule out the possibility of intentional damage to the underwater power line, as two vessels were recorded in the area where the cables are located at the time of the communication disruption.

It was later revealed that Finnish authorities are investigating an oil tanker, which is likely part of Russia's shadow fleet. On December 26, Finnish police conducted a special operation on a Russian "shadow tanker," suspected of being involved in the sabotage.

Additionally, it was reported that Finnish President Alexander Stubbs urged the world to counter the risks posed by vessels from Russia's shadow fleet.

On December 27, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, stated that the EU is preparing sanctions against Russia's "shadow fleet". On December 30, Kallas declared that the sabotage incidents occurring in Europe in recent months are not isolated cases, but rather part of a coordinated system of actions aimed at destabilizing EU infrastructure. She added that these incidents are linked to Russia.

Furthermore, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated on December 27 about the Alliance's plans to strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea due to the sabotage incidents.