Nato launches 'Baltic Sentry' mission to protect undersea cables

The announcement comes following a number of incidents in which infrastructure has been damaged.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersNato launches new mission to protect crucial undersea cablesGetty ImagesPatrols in the Baltic Sea are being stepped up in response to the cable damage (file image)Nato has launched a new mission to increase the surveillance of ships in the Baltic Sea after critical undersea cables were damaged or severed last year.

Nato chief Mark Rutte said the mission, dubbed "Baltic Sentry", would involve more patrol aircraft, warships and drones.

His announcement was made at a summit in Helsinki attended by all Nato countries perched on the Baltic Sea - Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden.

While Russia was not directly singled out as a culprit in the cable damage, Rutte said Nato would step up its monitoring of Moscow's "shadow fleet" - ships without clear ownership that are used to carry embargoed oil products.

Tensions between Nato countries and Russia have been mounting relentlessly since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gx74d06ywo

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