European nations need to be ready for more Baltic Sea incidents, according to NATO leaders gathered in Helsinki, Finland, on Tuesday.
This comes after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine caused destruction or disruption to a number of gas pipelines, telecommunications linkages, and underwater power cables.
Edgar Rinkevics, the president of Latvia, admitted that full coverage would be difficult to attain because over 2,000 ships pass through the crowded river each day.
Before Tuesday’s meeting, he told reporters, “Let’s face it, we can’t ensure 100% protection but if we are sending a bold signal then I think that such incidents are going to decrease or even stop.”
Poland has reported that a ship was spotted lingering close to cables. Polish national television broadcast a new instance of a Russian “shadow fleet” ship circling the Baltic Pipe, which transports gas from Norway to Poland, as the leaders gathered.
The new information was reported by Polish public television TVP World, which cited an unidentified foreign ministry source.
The term “Shadow fleet” describes the ships that Russia uses to transport food, oil, and weapons in defiance of international sanctions placed on it because of the conflict in Ukraine. Conventional Western providers do not control or insure the vessels.
The discussions were attended by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commissioner for technological sovereignty and security Henna Virkkunen, and the leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden.
A tanker carrying Russian oil was held by Finnish police last month on suspicion of damaging four telecommunications cables and the Estlink 2 power line that connects Finland and Estonia by dragging its anchor along the seabed.
This and other recent events in the Baltic Sea, notably near the northern coast of Germany, must be presumed to be part of a hybrid strategy, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday.
Source: DW News
