The Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) is proposing to grant the Defense Forces and Navy the authority to use military force against merchant ships suspected of attempting to damage undersea cables and other critical infrastructure.
The proposed legislation introduces amendments to two existing laws—the Defense Forces Act and the Economic Zone Act.
The aim of the amendments is to give the Navy the legal power to prevent the increasing number of incidents involving foreign merchant ships intentionally severing submarine cables or damaging other infrastructure installations.
Under the proposal, the military would be granted the authority to use force against suspicious vessels. In extreme cases, the military would have the right to sink a ship that does not comply with their orders.
The first reading of the bill is scheduled for Wednesday, April 9.
