European leaders have expressed concern over the frequency of attacks on civilian ships and critical civilian infrastructure, as authorities investigate the fourth cable-cutting incident in the Baltic Sea in recent months.
The "Vezhen", a Bulgarian-owned ship, was detained this week in the Baltic Sea on suspicion of dragging its anchor along the seabed, severing an underwater data cable between Sweden and Latvia.
Alexander Kalchev, chief executive of the company that owns the ship 'Vezhen', rejected accusations that the damage caused was intentional.
However, Swedish security services are conducting further investigations.
Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds, in a written response to VOA on Wednesday, confirmed that Latvia is working closely with Sweden and NATO to investigate the case.
"The Latvian Navy diving team has conducted an inspection of the incident site and collected evidence in cooperation with Swedish Coast Guard vessels," Mr. Spruds told VOA.
He stressed that Latvia will deploy new technology and continue to work closely with NATO allies to increase the protection of critical infrastructure at sea.
"These acts of sabotage will not be tolerated and we will continue to take bold action in accordance with the law," said Mr. Spruds.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, whose country launched an investigation into suspected sabotage after the December 25 damage to the 'Estlink 2' undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia, has stressed the urgency of the situation.
"This cannot continue," he told Finnish media outlet Lannen this week. He called for stronger coordination within the European Union to prevent further attacks.
"We must be on a united front on sanctions against Russia. This applies to every country in the European Union," he told a Finnish journalist.
The government in Poland, another country bordering the Baltic Sea with more than 1,000 kilometers of coastline, has called for increased security measures.
In an interview with Voice of America, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said that recent attacks on undersea cables – such as those connecting Latvia and Sweden, as well as Estonia and Finland – are consistent with cases of sabotage seen in the region.
While investigations are ongoing, Poland views these incidents as deliberate actions, he said.
"Even if today there is no evidence of sabotage (directly linking Moscow) and provocations are part of Russia's standard arsenal... we are at a point where we have to assume that these are actions taken consciously and deliberately," he told VOA on Tuesday.
Polish officials also emphasize the need for more coordinated measures in the interest of maritime security.
"We want such missions to be carried out in the Baltic Sea. There is a lot of traffic when it comes to ships or smaller vessels, and safety is an absolutely essential issue," he told VOA.
Given its strategic importance and the growing presence of Russian naval activity, he said, NATO should prioritize the Baltic Sea as a critical security area.
Political and strategic motives
As evidence continues to accumulate, the geopolitics-related motives for these attacks are becoming clearer.
Analysts believe the sabotage is not only an attempt to disrupt communication networks, but also a calculated attempt to test NATO's response capabilities and create discord among member states.
Lawmakers in Finland, NATO's newest member, have expressed concerns that these incidents could be part of a wider conflict that many Western governments are reluctant to acknowledge.
"If we don't know we are at war, it's always better to assume we are," said Jussi Halla-aho, speaker of the Finnish parliament, in an interview earlier this month with the Finnish daily 'Turku Turun Sanomat'.
Hybrid warfare
A significant challenge for NATO and its allies is how to respond effectively to these incidents. Unlike conventional military aggression, these acts of sabotage target ships and civilian infrastructure, making direct retaliation difficult.
"If we openly accuse Russia or China of these attacks, the logical question that arises after that is: what are we going to do about it?" said Matti Posio, a Finnish foreign policy expert and editor-in-chief of 'Lannen Oy', during an interview with Voice of America.
"The reality is that the options are limited and that is why the authors of these acts have done the calculations."
As tensions rise, NATO is considering additional measures to secure the Baltic Sea, officials and observers told VOA.
One option includes increasing maritime patrols and surveillance of key maritime corridors. However, "more drastic proposals - such as closing parts of the Gulf of Finland to Russian-bound ships - remain a politically sensitive and legally complex issue," Mr Posio said.
The NATO and EU dilemma
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, who visited Latvia this week, issued a joint statement with her Latvian counterpart.
"We are aware that Russia is a long-term threat to world peace and international order, and NATO's preventive and defensive measures must be further strengthened, coordinating the Allies' response to the growing threat posed by Russia," their statement said.
As tensions rise, NATO announced the 'Baltic Sentry 2025' initiative, which aims to increase NATO's military presence in the Baltic Sea and improve allies' ability to respond to destabilizing acts.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stressed the need for greater coordination in protecting critical infrastructure from sabotage.
EU interior ministers will meet in Warsaw on Thursday. They are expected to address growing concerns about acts of sabotage targeting critical infrastructure in Europe.
The ministers are expected to discuss possible countermeasures and coordinate efforts to strengthen security and deter such incidents in the future./ VOA (A2 Televizion)
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