The damage of an undersea power cable off the coast of Finland in the Baltic Sea is the latest in a series of suspected attacks on NATO/EU country critical infrastructure. The Estlink 2 undersea power cable between Estonia and Finland was interrupted on December 25. Finnish authorities said on December 26 they boarded and detained the Eagle S, a tanker registered with the Cook Islands and thought to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” the anchor of which is thought to have caused the damage.
The European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU’s diplomatic service, condemned the attack, commending the Finnish authorities for their swift action in boarding the suspected vessel, noting that the EU is working with the Finnish authorities on the ongoing investigation. “We stand in full solidarity with Finland, Estonia, and Germany. We strongly condemn any deliberate destruction of Europe’s critical infrastructure. The suspected vessel is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia’s war budget. We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet,” spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said on December 26.
“In response to these incidents, we are strengthening efforts to protect undersea cables, including enhanced information exchange, new detection technologies, as well as in undersea repair capabilities, and international cooperation. We remain committed to ensuring the resilience and security of our critical infrastructure,” he said.
NATO Secretary Mark Rutte General said on December 26 he had spoken to both Finnish President Alex Stubb and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal about reported possible sabotage of Baltic Sea cables, noting that the western defense alliance will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea. “NATO stands in solidarity with Allies and condemns any attacks on critical infrastructure. We are following investigations by Estonia & Finland, and we stand ready to provide further support,” he wrote on X. Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia, joined NATO in 2023, a year after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Spoke w/ @alexstubb about the ongoing Finnish-led investigation into possible sabotage of undersea cables. I expressed my full solidarity and support. #NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea.
— Mark Rutte (@SecGenNATO) December 27, 2024
Estonia launched a naval operation to protect its undersea power cables on December 27.
The EU’s new foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas from Estonia told the Die Welt newspaper in an interview published on December 30 that “Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ threatens the environment and funds Russia’s war budget,” adding that the vessels are suspected of carrying out acts of sabotage.
EU spokesperson El Anouni said that at present, there is no risk to the security of electricity supply in the region.
However, Francesco Sassi, research fellow in energy geopolitics and markets at R.I.E.-Ricerche Industriali ed Energetiche in Bologna, Italy, said the disruption of Estlink 2 and the arrival of colder Arctic air could cause severe problems to the ability of Baltic countries to secure sufficient supplies to consumers in the weeks and months ahead. “Without Estlink 2, thermal power generation in Baltics is destined to grow this winter. Meanwhile, the decoupling of the Baltic states from the synchronisation with the Russian electricity grid, starting in February 2025, will become much more painful,” he told NE Global, citing his analysis titled “What could Russia gain from the EstLink 2 sabotage?” from his blog on EklipX Research.
The damage of Eastlink 2 is the latest in a series of similar incidents in recent years in the Baltic region. Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on December 26 that his country cannot rule out deliberate damage to the cable. “There have been too many incidents at Baltic Sea that coincidences are becoming unlikely,” he wrote on X.
In November, an undersea data cable running between Finland and Germany through the Baltic Sea was severed.
Around the same time, an internet link between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island went out of service, raising suspicions of sabotage.
In October 2023, Baltic-connector pipeline, which supplies Finland with gas from Estonia, was severely damaged.
In an exclusive interview with NE Global in May, James Bergeron, Political Advisor at the NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) in Northwood, United Kingdom, said the explosions that targeted the Nord Stream pipelines from Russia to Germany in September 2022 and the suspected sabotage of the Baltic-connector almost a year later, have put the question of protecting critical energy infrastructure to the forefront. “Nord Stream, Baltic Connector and all the rest of it woke NATO up to the challenge of critical infrastructure at sea – underwater infrastructure but also other critical infrastructure at sea,” Bergeron said.