High Alert: Baltic Sea Nations Brace for Security Challenges

European nations near the Baltic Sea are heightening security measures following recent threats to undersea infrastructure. In light of Russia's actions, NATO member states are collaborating to ensure regional safety, despite challenges posed by the sea's vast traffic. Leaders emphasize strong signals to deter further incidents.

European nations bordering the Baltic Sea have been urged to bolster their security preparedness following recent attacks on undersea infrastructure. Leaders from NATO countries in the region issued the warning ahead of a pivotal security meeting in Helsinki, underscoring the rising tensions.

The Baltic Sea has seen a series of outages, affecting power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. With around 2,000 vessels navigating daily, Latvia's President Edgars Rinkevics highlighted the monitoring challenges with so much maritime activity.

Finnish authorities recently detained a Russian oil tanker suspected of causing substantial damage to Finnish-Estonian undersea cables. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz labeled these incidents as potential elements of a hybrid warfare strategy, stressing the need for heightened cooperation to safeguard the region's security.

(With inputs from agencies.)