“It's hard to believe in a coincidence”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed concern over another alleged act of sabotage by Russia in the Baltic Sea and warned against the so-called Russian shadow fleet.
“Ships are currently damaging important undersea cables in the Baltic Sea almost every month,” she told newspapers from the Funke media group. – It's hard to believe the coincidence. This is an urgent wake-up call for all of us, she added. Undersea cables are the “communication arteries that connect our world.”
Damaged cable
On Christmas Day, damage was discovered to the EstLink 2 power cable connecting Finland and Estonia. Finnish authorities suspect it is the anchor of a tanker that sailed from St. Petersburg Russiadamaged a cable running on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Finland detained the suspected tanker Eagle S and escorted it to Finnish waters.
Finnish investigators suspect that Eagle S is part of the so-called the Russian shadow fleet, which Russia uses to circumvent the oil embargo imposed two years ago in response to Russia's attack on Ukraine. As part of this fleet, Russia uses foreign-flagged tankers for exports crude oil and petroleum products despite international sanctions.
Baerbock calls on the EU to impose sanctions on the shadow fleet
Russia's shadow fleet poses a “serious threat to our environment and security,” Baerbock said. By mid-December, more than 50 ships were subject to European sanctions. – There must be further EU sanctions against the shadow fleet – he added.
In her opinion, European security is threatened not only by the Russian war in Ukraine, but also by “hybrid threats from malicious entities.” Therefore, even greater protection of critical infrastructure is necessary. “We need more investment in national defense,” Baerbock said.
At the same time, cooperation within the framework is being expanded NATO and the EU, said the minister. – We are currently discussing with our NATO partners how we can better protect the Baltic Sea against hybrid threats – she admitted.
(AFP/szym)