NATO Boosts Presence Amid Baltic Sea Tensions

NATO is ramping up its presence in the Baltic Sea following suspected sabotage of undersea infrastructure, including power cables and internet lines. Finland seized a Russian oil-carrying ship linked to a power cable outage, prompting further security measures and investigations into recent maritime incidents in the region.

NATO is increasing its presence in the Baltic Sea after suspected sabotage damaged an undersea power cable and internet lines. Estonia has launched a naval operation to protect a parallel electricity link. Finland seized a ship carrying Russian oil, suspected of causing a power outage in the Estlink 2 cable and has requested NATO's assistance.

The Baltic Sea nations are on high alert for sabotage following numerous outages involving power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Finnish President Alexander Stubb has communicated with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about strengthening NATO's presence, and Rutte expressed support for Finland's investigation.

Sweden's coastguard has increased surveillance to protect undersea installations, coordinating with the Swedish navy and other nations. Estonia's navy has deployed to guard the operational Estlink 1 subsea cable. Estonia's foreign minister emphasized the need to address damage to undersea infrastructure and update maritime law accordingly.

(With inputs from agencies.)