NATO vows support as Russian tanker suspected in cable damage
NATO has declared its support for Estonia and Finland following the malfunction of an undersea electrical cable on Christmas Day, as announced by 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 focused on the "possible sabotage" of telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea. The unexpected malfunction of the EstLink 2 cable occurred on Wednesday, around noon EST.
Tanker Eagle S under scrutiny
The EstLink 2 cable malfunction occurred while the tanker Eagle S, part of the Russian "shadow fleet," was in the area. The vessel had loaded tens of thousands of gallons of Russian gasoline and was traveling from St. Petersburg to ports in Egypt. On Thursday, Finnish authorities boarded the tanker.
Detained by a border guard patrol vessel, Eagle S is currently 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 Rinkevics called for NATO to protect critical infrastructure more effectively in the Baltic Sea. "The damage to the undersea cables between Finland and Estonia is probably not a coincidence, to put it mildly," he said.
