At the meeting on Tuesday, the leaders will discuss how to respond to the threat from Russia’s so-called shadow fleet and how to protect the underwater infrastructure.
The vessel Eagle S is suspected of being part of the Russian shadow fleet and of having damaged underwater cables between Finland and Estonia at the end of December.
– It’s about old oil vessels that Russia uses to get its oil onto the world market and thus continue to finance its war, says SVT’s Finland correspondent Liselott Lindström in The morning studio.
Suspicion of espionage
There are also suspicions that these ships may be engaged in some form of espionage or surveillance.
– Russia also deals with GPS interference, which makes it difficult for many ships to navigate. There are many risks in the Baltic Sea to run aground. So an oil disaster in the Baltic Sea is also something you are prepared for, says Liselott Lindström.
“Hostile intent cannot be ruled out”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal are hosting the meeting. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M), who commented on the suspected sabotage during the People and Defense conference on January 12, is also participating.
– The security situation and the fact that strange things happen again and again in the Baltic Sea also lead us to believe that hostile intent cannot be ruled out. Quite a bit speaks for a ship accidentally and without noticing it, dragging an anchor with 300 meters of chain for over a hundred kilometers, without understanding that it can cause damage, said Ulf Kristersson.