Russia Issues Warning Over NATO Flotilla ‘Abuses’ in Baltic Sea

Russia has issued a warning decrying alleged “abuses” by vessels from NATO member states in the Baltic Sea.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the activity was taking place under the guise of the intergovernmental alliance’s sea patrol mission.

NATO’s “Baltic Sentry” mission was launched on January 14, with member nations agreeing to deploy a flotilla off the coast of Estonia to guard key undersea communication cables, following multiple sabotage incidents.

Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for comment via email and NATO for comment via a form on their website.

Why It Matters

Russia’s warning regarding the monitoring of the alleged flotilla “abuses” will likely further escalate the standoff between Moscow and the West in a region that both sides view as critical to their strategic interests. Tensions have already been high between NATO and Russia due to the allies continued support for and military aid for Kyiv, which is battling Russia’s illegal invasion.

What To Know

During a briefing, Zakharova decried the NATO flotilla’s actions in the Baltic Sea and said that “It is obvious that the steps of the North Atlantic Alliance are aimed, first of all, not at increasing security, but at containing our country.”

“We are talking about an attempt, not coordinated with Russia and other interested international partners, to create artificial barriers to shipping in the Baltic.”

She also implied that the alliance is breaking international law by protecting the undersea cables as they are not listed under freedom of navigation laws, adding that Russia will “of course, closely monitor the situation in the Baltic Sea and respond appropriately to abuses by the NATO alliance ships.”

Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Grushko made a similar statement to Zakharova in an interview with Russia 24.

He said that Russia will do “everything necessary to ensure” that its interests, not just the Baltic Sea basin but the region as a whole, are secure, as it “relates to the military component.”

“With regards to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, certain measures have already been announced, including the re-establishment of the Leningrad Military District, the Moscow Military District, the creation of the Karelian Corps. As well as many other things that are deemed necessary.”

The “Baltic Sentry” mission, which is set to continue for “an undisclosed amount of time,” was launched in response to damage to undersea cables connecting Estonia and Finland on Dec. 25, which led to a declaration of solidarity by Allies with the two countries on Dec. 30.

Russia- and China-linked vessels were suspected to be behind numerous incidents of alleged sabotage.

The Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia was damaged on December 25, with Moscow touted as prime suspect.

Prior to this, the C-Lion1 communications cable between Finland and Germany and the communications cable between Sweden and Lithuania were broken in November, with suspicion falling on Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3.

Western intelligence officials told the Washington Post that they had not found evidence supporting the allegations that Russia had sabotaged the undersea cables and the investigation found the damage was likely accidental.

Validity of this argument was questioned by current and former NATO state officials, including Finland President Alexander Stubb, who said that no conclusions have been drawn yet on who is behind the cable damage.

What People Are Saying

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Kęstutis Budrys, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania wrote on the launch of the “Baltic Sentry” mission: “Inaction is a dangerous gamble – and it’s only making things worse. The Baltic Sea is becoming a zone of hostile activity, with Russia abusing shipping& aviation rules, jamming GPS, causing environmental& security risks. We must seize control of maritime traffic, criminalize violations& deploy NATO naval forces to assert dominance& security of the Baltic Sea.”

In a series of posts about Russian activity in the Baltic Sea, Pekka Kallioniemi, a Finnish Non-Resident Research Fellow at the International Center for Defense and Security, wrote: “These sabotage operations in the Baltic Sea now target critical infrastructure like Internet and energy cables, links that are vital for European communication and trade. Russia and its allies allegedly use these acts to test NATO’s resilience and response.”

“The Kremlin’s hybrid operations are smart in a way that they almost never cross the red lines for an actual NATO intervention. Cutting a few cables “by accident” hardly calls for an invoking of the famous Article 5, which is why they (allegedly) keep doing these operations.”

He added: “Sabotaging underwater cables is mainly a strategic tool. It undermines regional unity and escalates tensions, sometimes even between NATO allies. Examples abound, including anchor damage to pipelines like Balticconnector, severed in October 2023 by a Hong Kong-flagged ship.”

What Happens Next

Russia has already revamped its military districts to put extra focus on the Baltics, as part of Putin’s update of Russia’s military doctrine. But it remains to be seen if Moscow will take more concrete steps to respond to NATO’s growing presence in the Baltic Sea.