NATO announced plans on Friday, December 27, to bolster its military presence in the Baltic Sea following suspected sabotage of undersea power and internet cables. Meanwhile, Estonia launched a naval operation to safeguard its critical infrastructure.
Finland seized a Russian oil-carrying ship on Thursday, suspecting it of damaging the Estlink 2 power cable connecting Finland and Estonia, as well as fiber optic lines. Finland also requested NATO’s support in response to the incident. These disruptions are part of a string of attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic region since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb called for stronger NATO involvement, which NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed via social media, stating the alliance would enhance its presence in the Baltic Sea. Sweden also ramped up its monitoring of maritime activity with increased aircraft and vessel deployments.
Estonia’s navy is guarding the operational Estlink 1 cable, and Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna hinted at a coordinated response to any threats against undersea infrastructure. He noted the frequency of such incidents raised doubts about accidental causes, suggesting deliberate interference.
The damage to Estlink 2, which disrupted power supplies to Estonia, is believed to have been caused by the Eagle S, a Cook Islands-registered ship suspected of dragging its anchor across the seabed. Finnish investigators linked the vessel to a “shadow fleet” of aging tankers used to evade Russian oil sanctions. Authorities are investigating the ship’s crew for “aggravated criminal mischief.”
Estonia’s justice minister highlighted the need to modernize maritime laws to address intentional damage to critical infrastructure. Although the Estlink 2 outage complicates energy planning, it will not derail efforts to decouple the Baltic countries from the Soviet-era power grid shared with Russia and Belarus, Estonia’s grid operator Elering confirmed. However, the disruption may drive up electricity prices in the Baltic region by 2025.
The situation mirrors ongoing investigations into other Baltic Sea incidents, including damage to telecom cables and gas pipelines. Swedish authorities suspect a Chinese vessel traveling from Russia in last month’s telecom cable breach, while similar probes continue into last year’s disruptions.
