NATO has initiated a significant new mission to enhance surveillance of maritime activities in the Baltic Sea following critical damage to undersea cables that occurred last year. The mission, known as “Baltic Sentry,” will incorporate additional patrol aircraft, warships, and drones to bolster security in the region.
NATO’s announcement was made during a summit in Helsinki, which was attended by member countries bordering the Baltic Sea, including Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden. The expansion of this mission comes amidst growing concerns over maritime security, particularly in light of recent incidents involving undersea infrastructure.
Although specific nations were not directly implicated in the damage to the cables, a key focus of NATO’s efforts will be the monitoring of what has been described as Moscow’s “shadow fleet”—ships operating without clear ownership, potentially involved in carrying embargoed oil products.
Tensions between NATO allies and Russia have escalated since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At the summit, NATO officials expressed “grave concern” regarding infrastructure security, emphasizing a robust response that may include increased boarding of suspicious vessels and, if necessary, the confiscation of such ships.
While NATO’s chief did not disclose the exact number of resources committed to the Baltic Sentry initiative, he indicated that this information remains fluid due to the evolving security landscape. He underscored the importance of safeguarding undersea infrastructure, which is vital for electricity supply and crucial for the secure transmission of over 95% of global internet traffic.
There has been a notable rise in unexplained damage to undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea in recent months, with one incident in December leading to the severing of an electricity cable between Finland and Estonia. In a separate incident, an oil tanker was boarded by Finnish coast guard personnel due to concerns it was threatening another key undersea cable.
Officials from Finland and Estonia have voiced concerns regarding the frequency of these incidents, with some suggesting that the possibility of accidental damage is becoming increasingly questionable. The security dynamics in the Baltic region have prompted leaders to remain vigilant, emphasizing that hostile intentions must not be dismissed in light of the recent disturbing patterns.
