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NATO Launches New Naval Operation In Baltic Sea

NATO is launching a new patrol and surveillance operation to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region bordering Russia, the alliance said Tuesday after several breaches to undersea cables put European authorities on high alert.

The mission will boost the Western military alliance’s presence in a region on edge, including with frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, submarine satellites, remotely operated vehicles and a “small fleet of naval drones” to enhance surveillance, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told a news conference in Helsinki.

He declined to share ship figures and said the number of vessels “might differ from one week to another,” but said the operation, dubbed “Baltic Sentry,” would work “to deter future destabilizing acts” and “enhance our vigilance in the Baltic.”

A statement from NATO said the operation would “continue for an undisclosed amount of time.”

Leaders of Baltic nations, along with Rutte and other European officials, met in Helsinki on Tuesday to agree on ways to boost security, after Finland in late December seized an oil tanker that was suspected of severing a power cable connecting the country to Estonia.

That December incident, in which damage was also reported to four telecoms cables, added to mounting European fears of sabotage after a string of murky disruptions, as NATO officials accuse Russia of a growing campaign against NATO countries over their military support for Ukraine and sanctions against Moscow.

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