NATO to Deploy Ships, Aircraft in Baltic Sea After Cable Breaches

By Anne Kauranen, Essi Lehto and Andreas Rinke

HELSINKI, Jan 14 (Reuters) – NATO countries will deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and naval drones in the Baltic Sea to help protect critical infrastructure and reserve the right to take action against ships suspected of posing a security threat, alliance members said on Tuesday.

The NATO alliance is taking the action, dubbed “Baltic Sentry,” in response to a string of incidents in which power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines have been damaged in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Finnish police last month seized a tanker carrying Russian oil and said they suspected the vessel had damaged the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and four telecoms cables by dragging its anchor across the seabed.

Polish state b…