Tow tracks discovered after anchor in the Baltic Sea • “The consequences are serious”
Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) calls the Swedish contribution “significant” in the upcoming NATO operation.
The effort aims to clearly highlight NATO’s deterrence and defense capabilities, he says.
It is not clear what type of ship Sweden will contribute, but it could be corvettes or minesweepers. The ships, together with the reconnaissance flight ASC890, will be under NATO command and follow NATO rules of engagement.
When the operation will start and how long it will last, NATO will have to answer, according to Jonson. However, he states that the assignment is about protecting critical infrastructure and being able to follow suspicious vessels.
Serious situation
The situation is serious, says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M).
Several cable breaks in the Baltic Sea have been discovered recently that can be suspected of being sabotage. On December 26, Finnish military and police boarded the Cook Islands-flagged tanker Eagle S, suspected of pulling cables in the Gulf of Finland by dragging an anchor behind it.
In mid-November, two communication cables were damaged, one between Finland and Germany, the other between Sweden and Lithuania. The Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 is suspected of having caused the damage.
The Minister of Civil Defense, Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M), suggests that the fact that the three Baltic countries will soon end their dependence on Russian and Belarusian electricity could have something to do with the events.
Tow tracks found
Bohlin points out that there are three electricity cables that are central to the electricity supply between the Baltics and Scandinavia: Estlink 1 and 2 and Nordbalt. Estlink 2 was destroyed by Eagles S, which was also within 30 minutes of also sailing over Estlink 1.
Today we can state that there are also tow tracks of anchors, probably from Yi Peng 3, in connection with the Nordbalt cable between Sweden and Lithuania, says Bohlin.
This illustrates the seriousness of the situation we are in.
However, the Prime Minister is cautious about accusing anyone of deliberate sabotage or pointing to any country that may be behind it.
We are not accusing anyone of anything. But we are not naive, we do not believe in chance, says Kristersson.
The government now wants the Swedish Armed Forces and the Coast Guard to strengthen surveillance in order to be able to act more quickly if any ship behaves abnormally in the Baltic Sea.
It is about developing a joint plan for the exchange of intelligence information and a real-time maritime situational picture.