Baltic: NATO launches multi-domain operation “Baltic Sentry” to prevent acts of sabotage

Baltic: NATO launches multi-domain operation “Baltic Sentry” to prevent acts of sabotage
Baltic: NATO launches multi-domain operation “Baltic Sentry” to prevent acts of sabotage

The latest news was that the investigation into the sabotage of the NordStream 1 and NordStream 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea was moving towards a Ukrainian lead. At least, that's what a European arrest warrant, issued in June 2024 by the German federal prosecutor's office, responsible for this case, suggested. Mandate which has not been completed to date…

However, when questioned in writing about this sabotage by MP Aurélien Saintoul, the Ministry of the Armed Forces was very cautious. “At this stage, only Germany is continuing its investigation. However, she did not provide additional details. Apart from the fact that the intelligence services likely to have access to information are foreign, it is the very nature of intelligence organizations to keep any information classified secret at their level,” he underlined, in a response published on December 3 last year.

He added that, “granted that underwater critical infrastructures are of major importance and that they are exposed, Denmark is committed to maintaining a high level of vigilance to ensure their protection. »

However, this Danish “vigilance” has since failed to prevent new incidents. Thus, in October 2023, the Balticconnector gas pipeline was damaged by the anchor of the Chinese cargo ship Newnew Polar Bear. Was this intentional? Without being able to board the ship in question for the purposes of the investigation, we will probably never know. Unless we take at face value the statements from Beijing, which spoke of an “accident”.

A year later, another Chinese cargo ship, the Yi Peng 3, also dragged its anchor near submarine telecommunications cables linking Finland to Estonia and Germany. Except that, unlike Newnew Polar Bear and for a reason that is still unclear, it then remained immobilized for almost a month in the Cattegat Strait, under the surveillance of the Danish coast guard.

After being inspected by “representatives of the Chinese authorities”, accompanied by Swedish investigators having the status of simple observers, the Yi Peng 3 was able to leave without being disturbed. It is currently sailing to Fangcheng, China.

Note that the position where this cargo ship remained at anchor in the Cattegat Strait seems to interest the Russian navy: the tugboats “Sergey Balk” and “SB123” lingered there for several days at the beginning of this month, according to the AIS data.

Then, the same modus operandi was followed by the tanker Eagle S, flying the flag of the Cook Islands and suspected of being part of the Russian “ghost fleet”, to damage the Estlink 2 interconnector, linking Finland to Estonia, the Christmas Day. This time, this ship was boarded immediately by the Finnish coast guard. It was then towed to the port of Kilpilahti for the purposes of the investigation.

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If we take into account the recurring disruptions of GPS signals in the region, such incidents are undoubtedly not the result of chance… But it was necessary to wait for the Estlink 2 interconnector to be damaged for NATO to finally react .

Indeed, this January 14, on the occasion of a summit on the Baltic Sea, the Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance, Mark Rutte, announced the launch of a new “multi-domain” operation aimed at strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure and to improve the “capacity of Allies to respond to destabilizing acts”.

“I'm not going to go into detail regarding the exact number of ships, as it can vary from week to week, and we don't want to make the enemy any more savvy than he or she already is », affirmed Mr. Rutte during a press conference. “What matters is using the right military assets in the right places at the right time to deter future destabilizing acts,” he argued.

“This military activity is part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen our maritime presence and surveillance of key areas for our alliance” with frigates and maritime patrol aircraft,” added the former Dutch Prime Minister. And to specify that naval surface drones would also be deployed “in order to improve surveillance and deterrence”.

Subsequently, Allied Command Operations [ACO] announced that it had just launched Operation “Baltic Sentry” in the Baltic Sea, with the aim of “deterring any future attempts by a state or non-state actor to damage the critical underwater infrastructure of this region “.

This “multi-domain activity, which will continue for an undisclosed duration, follows the damage caused to the submarine cables connecting Estonia and Finland on December 25,” it said.

“Although Baltic Sentry is a new operation, NATO forces maintain a permanent presence in the Baltic Sea, carrying out regular patrols and joint exercises to improve their preparedness,” the ACO also recalled. “Allied warships, submarines and aircraft, supported by advanced maritime surveillance technology, monitor the waters of this region and beyond,” he concluded.

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