Finland is stepping up security measures in the Baltic Sea due to an increase in suspicious incidents that may be related to Russian saboteurs.
This was reported by Politico, writes UNN.
Details
According to Politico, Deputy Commander of the Coast Guard Ilja Iljin, attention is now focused not only on rescue operations, but also on potential sabotage of underwater infrastructure.
In particular, more and more attention is being paid to tankers preparing to carry out sabotage. Behind him is a small army: dozens of radars and cameras, numerous patrol boats, a fleet of planes and helicopters - all deployed to comb the water space the size of Belgium. They are looking for suspicious behavior that could jeopardize the underwater cables that Europeans use to get the Internet and electricity.
According to Ilyin, at least two cases of sabotage have been recorded in the Gulf of Finland alone in the last 18 months. In the Baltic Sea as a whole, there have been at least six such incidents since 2022, and 11 underwater cables have been damaged since 2023.
This is becoming more and more common. We have become more aware of the risk and are currently trying to find ways to respond appropriately.
Although the scale of the damage has not yet affected everyday life - light and the Internet have remained available - European governments are sounding the alarm: the next attacks could be much more coordinated and dangerous.
For example, Ireland could lose a tenth of its electricity due to three cable breaks. Norway supplies the European Union with a third of the bloc's gas through underwater pipelines. An attack on any of these targets could cause chaos - energy shortages, uncontrolled prices, forced choices about who will lose electricity.
We are witnessing... [a new] reality. We have more and more incidents in the Baltic Sea that could have consequences for markets, for consumers, and also for our business.
So far, the authorities have not been able to convincingly prove that Moscow was behind the incidents. But "such sabotage in the current circumstances can be seen as useful for Russia... this is the only interpretation," said Vaičiūnas.
In other words, the waters of Europe have become a new front in the unfolding cold war with Russia. The EU and NATO are rushing to address the problem, developing plans to purchase spare cables and drones and increase military surveillance. But Donald Trump is fueling fears that the situation will only get worse as the US president criticizes America's core alliances and speaks in Russian terms.
They got bolder. So it just means we need to get more serious.
Let us remind you
The earlier Telegraph wrote that the British military found hidden Russian sensors in the seas around Britain, which were probably used to spy on British nuclear submarines.