Baltic Leaders Seek to Protect Undersea Pipelines After Recent Incidents

Leaders from Baltic Sea nations met Tuesday to discuss boosting security for undersea infrastructure, including pipelines, following a series of recent incidents that have raised concerns about sabotage.
The meeting comes after damage or disruption to several undersea power cables, telecommunications links, and gas pipelines since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Of particular concern is the Baltic Pipe, which delivers gas from Norway to Poland.
While Polish public television initially reported a new incident involving a Russian “shadow fleet” ship circling the Baltic Pipe, both the Polish Foreign Ministry and military later refuted the report, stating the incident “did not happen.”
“Shadow fleet” refers to vessels used by Russia to transport oil, arms, and grains in violation of international sanctions related to the Ukraine war. These vessels typically lack regulation and insurance from Western providers.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics acknowledged the difficulty of providing complete protection given the heavy maritime traffic in the Baltic Sea, with more than 2,000 ships crossing the waterway daily.
“Let’s face it, we can’t ensure 100% protection, but if we are sending a bold signal, then I think that such incidents are going to decrease or even stop,” he told reporters.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz characterised recent Baltic Sea incidents, including those off Germany’s northern coast, as likely part of a hybrid strategy, calling for great cooperation “to ensure greater security in the Baltic Sea region.”
Last month, Finnish police seized a tanker carrying Russian oil suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 power line between Finland and Estonia, as well as four telecommunications cables, by dragging its anchor.
The meeting included leaders from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden, along with European Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty and Security Henna Virkkunen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.