NATO backs Estonia and Finland amid undersea cable probe
NATO declares support for Estonia and Finland after the undersea electrical cable malfunction that occurred on Christmas Day, announced Mark Rutte. A Russian tanker is suspected of causing the malfunction.
"We are closely monitoring the investigations conducted by Estonia and Finland and are ready to provide further assistance," Rutte assured after meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal. The meeting's topic was the "possible sabotage" of telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea. The unexpected malfunction of the EstLink 2 cable occurred on Wednesday around noon GMT.
Tanker Eagle S under scrutiny
At the time of the EstLink 2 cable malfunction, the tanker Eagle S, belonging to the Russian "shadow fleet," was in the vicinity. The vessel had loaded approximately 455,000 litres of Russian petrol and was en route from St. Petersburg to ports in Egypt. On Thursday, Finnish authorities boarded the tanker.
Detained by the border guard patrol vessel, Eagle S is located in the Gulf of Finland waters.
International reactions
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, praised Finland's swift actions. "Yesterday's incident in the Baltic Sea highlights the risks to EU infrastructure," she wrote on social media. "Together, we will enhance our collective protection of European critical infrastructure, including undersea cables."
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs called for increased protection of critical infrastructure by NATO in the Baltic Sea. "The damage to the undersea cables between Finland and Estonia is probably not a coincidence, to put it mildly," he stated.
