Eight NATO countries announce action plan in response to Baltic Sea incidents
Photo: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the summit with the leaders of the Baltic States (nato.int)
Eight NATO member countries with access to the Baltic Sea have announced an action plan in response to incidents involving damaged infrastructure, pledging to "effectively respond" to attacks on undersea infrastructure, according to a joint statement following the summit in Helsinki.
Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden condemned "hostile or reckless" acts of sabotage targeting underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
"We are determined to deter, detect, and counter any attempts at sabotage. Any attack against our infrastructure will be met with a robust and determined response," the statement says.
The nations welcomed the launch of NATO's Baltic Sentry operation, the deployment of additional forces, and emphasized that Alliance structures will support efforts to safeguard underwater assets.
The countries announced the implementation of innovative solutions for tracking suspicious vessels and underwater monitoring. "This will include enhanced partnerships with the private sector, in particular infrastructure operators and cutting-edge technology companies," the statement said.
To protect underwater infrastructure, the countries expressed readiness to act individually and collectively, including within NATO and the EU frameworks. They committed to jointly determining further measures in response to "willful damaging or irresponsible behavior."
Additionally, the statement noted that Russia's shadow fleet poses a threat to maritime and environmental security in the Baltic Sea region. "We are taking robust steps to address these threats. We reserve our rights, in accordance with international law, to take action against any suspected vessels that circumvent sanctions and threaten our security, infrastructure, and the environment," the statement says.
Incidents in the Baltic Sea
At the end of 2024, underwater communication cables between Finland and Estonia were damaged in the Baltic Sea. Following this, the vessel Eagle S from Russia’s shadow tanker fleet was detained.
Investigators found that the crew of Eagle S intended to damage another power cable, Estlink 1, as well as the BalticConnector gas pipeline. Eight of the 24 crew members are prohibited from leaving Finland. The ship's captain is a Georgian national, while the crew consists of citizens of India and Georgia.
Earlier, two other data transmission cables between Finland and Germany were severed. Among the suspects was the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3, captained by a Russian national. NATO military representatives stated that Moscow is testing the Alliance’s response through provocations in the Baltic Sea.
Previously, Germany and Finland accused Russia of initiating hybrid warfare against them following the cable disruptions.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has proposed launching a program to protect the Baltic Sea from threats posed by Russia.
