Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said Nato is launching a Baltic Sea monitoring mission to secure critical infrastructure. This will include patrol ships, planes and drones.
Speaking at a Helsinki meeting of states with Baltic Sea shorelines, Rutte said the "Baltic Sentry" mission would "involve a range of assets, including frigates and maritime patrol aircraft, among others, and will enhance our vigilance in the Baltic."
Finland's President Alexander Stubb, who co-hosted the summit with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, said that the meeting demonstrated Baltic states' determination to deter hostile actors.
"The measures now decided will strengthen deterrence in the Baltic Sea and raise the threshold for damaging infrastructure. Sabotage of critical underwater infrastructure must be considered as a form of hybrid influence," said Stubb.
At the press conference, Rutte emphasised that ship captains should understand there will be consequences for damage to undersea infrastructure.
Nato said in a press release that the alliance's Maritime Centre for Security of Critical Underwater Infrastructure (NMCSCUI) will assist Nato command and allies in "making decisions and coordinating action relating to critical undersea infrastructure protection and response".
Extra patrols
Last week, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (NCP) revealed Nato was dispatching two vessels to patrol the Baltic Sea.
Baltic Nato states met in Helsinki on Tuesday in a meeting looking to boost security in the region while addressing the suspected sabotage of undersea cables widely blamed on Russia.
The meeting was called after Finnish authorities intercepted the Cook Islands-flagged Eagle S oil tanker, on suspicion of causing deliberate damage to undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland on Christmas Day.
This ship has been linked to Russia's shadow fleet, defined as vessels that are typically over 15 years old, poorly insured and are often involved in deceptive maritime practices and sanctions evasion.
It was the latest in a string of incidents that have underlined the vulnerability of international cables and pipelines.
"Three violations in the Baltic Sea during the last 13 months shows that this is not an accident and there is a very high probability that this is a deliberate action from hostile countries," said Gitanas Nauseda, President of Lithuania, on arrival at the meeting in the Finnish capital.
