Estonia seeks to strengthen critical infrastructure protection

An emergency government meeting was held in Estonia after underwater communication cables between Estonia and Finland were damaged.

In particular, the head of the Estonian government praised Finland's actions in connection with the incident.

“This is the first time in such incidents that a suspicious vessel has been intercepted, and the first steps have been taken to conduct an investigation. The investigation is being led by Finland, as the incident occurred on the Finnish side of the sea,” said Michal.

He clarified that the detained Eagle S vessel is an important part of Russia's shadow fleet.

“The most important thing is that we must increase the level of monitoring and protection of critical infrastructure both at sea and on land. This is primarily done by the Navy, and we are also asking for such assistance from our allies,” Michal emphasized.

According to him, it is not possible to ensure surveillance of “every square meter underwater,” but it is important to make infrastructure protection more visible and to make it clear that the most important infrastructure is being monitored and cannot be destroyed with impunity.

By the way, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has already written on X about a conversation with Michal, during which they discussed possible damage to communication cables.

"NATO stands in solidarity with Allies and condemns any attacks on critical infrastructure. We are following investigations by Estonia and Finland, and we stand ready to provide further support," he noted.

Cable damage in the Gulf of Finland

On December 25, it was reported that underwater communication cables between Estonia and Finland were damaged.

According to media reports, two vessels were passing near the damaged cables. Today it became known that one of them was detained.