As Finland seizes Russian ship, Estonia launches naval patrols

A member of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet is suspected of damaging an undersea cable.

Dec 27, 2024 - 21:00

Estonia launched a naval operation to protect its undersea power cables Friday, following the suspected sabotage of another cable in the Baltic Sea by a ship belonging to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.

On Thursday, Finnish authorities seized the Russian oil tanker Eagle S after the country’s police opened a criminal investigation into suspected involvement by the shadow fleet, a group of aging ships trading sanctioned Russian fuel behind murky ownership structures.

The Eagle S was carrying 35,000 tons of unleaded petrol that had been loaded in Russian ports. The tanker had slowed significantly at the time the submarine cable, known as Estlink 2, was damaged on Christmas Day, according to Finnish media reports.

Four other telecommunications cables between Finland and Estonia and between Finland and Germany were also damaged.

“We’ve decided to send our navy close to Estlink 1 to defend and secure our energy connection with Finland,” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said in a post on X.

Speaking on a morning local radio show, Pevkur said he had proposed a joint patrol with Finland.

“Not just with Finland, but with all of our allies, really. The Finns are discussing this today, and I believe they will join us. Additionally, we agreed yesterday that NATO will engage on a military level,” he said.

The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Russia’s shadow fleet “threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia’s war budget.” | Nicolas Tucat/Getty Images

The damaging of Estlink 2 is the latest incident in the Baltic Sea involving the breaking of undersea infrastructure.

“Three cases in one year cannot be a coincidence,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in a press conference on Friday.

Stubb said that NATO’s presence in the area must be increased.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he had spoken to both Stubb and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.

“#NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea,” he said in a post on X.

The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Russia’s shadow fleet “threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia’s war budget.”

“We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet,” she added on X, calling for the strengthening of cooperation in protecting undersea cables.