The announcement of the operation comes after the power cable Estlink 2 between Estonia and Finland was damaged. The Estonian government together with the country’s defense chief decided on Thursday to launch a naval operation.
Early on Friday morning, the patrol boat Raju was sent to protect the submarine cable.
– This is to ensure that nothing happens there and to ensure that our critical connection with Finland remains operational, says Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur in Estonian radio on Friday morning.
According to Pevkur, they have already been in contact with the Finnish Defense Forces and will contact NATO on Friday.
“A solution can be an effort with Swedish forces”
Pevkur says that it was agreed with Finland that NATO needs to be involved on a military level.
– Speed is important. If NATO and the chief of defense agree, a solution could, for example, be an operation with Swedish forces. But it could also be German or Polish or someone else. Through bilateral relations, we can find faster solutions than waiting for NATO as a whole, says Pevkur.
The oil tanker Eagle S is suspected of damaging Estlink 2 with its anchor. In addition to the power cable, several communication cables between Estonia and Finland have also been damaged.
Finnish police and customs suspect that the Eagle S is part of the so-called Russian shadow fleet, which is used to evade sanctions.