NATO will deploy 10 ships in the Baltic Sea to safeguard underwater cables.

NATO plans to deploy 10 naval vessels in the Baltic Sea to secure critical underwater infrastructure as part of a new operation set to commence at the end of this week and continue until April. This initiative aims to enhance the protection of energy cables and data lines that are vital for the region's security.

Source. This is reported by the Finnish publication Yle.

Vessels from NATO's Baltic fleet will participate in the operation, along with additional ships provided by member countries.

These ships will be primarily positioned near essential energy and communication cables to act as a deterrent against potential sabotage. However, NATO will not be able to block the passage of other vessels in international waters, as stated in the report.

In addition to the increased NATO presence, Finnish and Estonian ships will continue patrolling the Gulf of Finland, ensuring the protection of the area.

The deployment of naval forces will increase following a request from Finland and Estonia, which suspect that a tanker named Eagle S damaged the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia, as well as several telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland on December 25, 2024.

These countries suspect that this tanker is part of Russia's shadow fleet and is assisting in circumventing Western sanctions.

The decision to enhance NATO's maritime security was made on December 30, 2024, after several incidents of underwater cable damage in the region. Over the past year, three instances of cable damage have been recorded: in November 2024, a telecommunications cable was severed between Sweden, Lithuania, Finland, and Germany.

Additionally, in October 2023, the vessel Newnew Polarbear damaged both the Balticconnector gas pipeline and several communication cables.

Earlier, on December 27, 2024, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the alliance's decision to increase military presence in the Baltic Sea.