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Thursday, January 30, 2025

Baltic Guard Mission. The first ships sailed to the Baltic Sea

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NATO Naval Command announced that a German destroyer and a Dutch hydrographic ship were sent to defend critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. The ships are already in the waters of the Gulf of Finland, Finnish public radio Yle and Estonian ERR reported.

“The German minehunter FGS Datteln and the hydrographic vessel HNLMS Luymes of the Royal Netherlands Navy have arrived in the Baltic Sea as part of the new Baltic Guard mission, established at Wednesday's NATO meeting in Helsinki,” the command of allied naval forces announced on Wednesday.

“NATO is ready to defend underwater critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Operation Baltic Guard deploys units from Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) and mine countermeasure forces (SNMCMG1), as well as reconnaissance aircraft and maritime drones to increase the allied deterrence potential , defense and response to destabilizing activities,” NATO Command announced in a statement.

READ ALSO: They strengthen the protection of cables at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Artificial intelligence helps

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On Tuesday, at a meeting in Helsinki with the participation of the leaders of eight Baltic countries: German, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland and the European Commission, Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte announced the establishment of the Baltic Guard.

The German minehunter FGS Datteln and the hydrographic ship HNLMS LuymesX/NATO_MARCOM

Undersea cable attacks

This is the Alliance's response to the recent incidents related to the damage to undersea cables, the Estonian-Finnish power connection EstLink2 and several telecommunications connections located at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland, which occurred on December 25.

The suspect is the Eagle S tanker, flying the flag of the Cook Islands, which – it is assumed – belongs to Russian “shadow fleet”. During the Christmas period, the unit sailed from St. Petersburg towards… Egypt with a load of Russian fuel.

READ ALSO: The anchor of the ship that damaged the cable in the Baltic Sea, pulled out from the bottom. Investigators will examine it and show photos

Finnish police suspect that the damage to the cables was caused by dragging the ship's anchor along the bottom for a distance of approximately 100 kilometers. After the incident, the authorities of Estonia and Finland appealed to NATO for support and increased presence in the Baltic Sea.

The NATO Secretary General did not specify the number of ships and other units participating in the mission. According to Yle sources, about 10 ships, including submarines, may be involved in the operation, and the mission may last until April.

Main photo source: X/NATO_MARCOM



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