NATO announced Thursday that it was intensifying its patrols in the Baltic Sea following damage to the underwater infrastructure of members of the Alliance. The reinforcement provides for “additional surveillance and reconnaissance flights, notably with maritime patrol aircraft, NATO AWACS aircraft and drones,” the Alliance said in a statement.
“A fleet of four NATO minehunters is also deployed in the region,” she added. The decision comes after damage discovered on a gas pipeline linking Finland and Estonia and on a telecommunications cable between Sweden and Estonia.
“We continue to monitor the situation closely and remain in close contact with our allies Estonia and Finland, as well as our partner Sweden,” said the acting NATO spokesperson, Dylan White. “NATO will continue to adapt its maritime posture in the Baltic Sea and will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of its allies. »
Gas pipeline leak
Finland is investigating the Balticconnector gas pipeline leak which led to its closure on October 8. The authorities announced that it had been caused by external intervention, raising fears of possible sabotage, against a backdrop of tensions with neighboring Russia.
Finnish police announced Thursday that they had completed the investigation phase at the gas pipeline site, without commenting on the information collected. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would provide a “determined response” if the incident was found to be a deliberate attack.
On Tuesday, Sweden said it had discovered that a telecommunications cable under the Baltic Sea had also been damaged around the same time, although the cause was not known.
The previous Nord Stream
More than a year ago, on September 26, 2022, four huge gas leaks preceded by underwater explosions affected Nord Stream 1 and 2 in the Baltic Sea, pipelines which carried most of the gas Russian towards theEurope. The origin of the explosions remains an enigma.
Authorities have said it was “sabotage,” but no definitive answer has yet been given as to who was responsible.
Finland became a member of NATO in April after decades of neutrality, a membership that angered the Russia. Sweden is also joining the Alliance. Since the sabotage of Nord Stream, NATO has already reinforced patrols “near critical underwater infrastructure”.