COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Under steel grey skies, the Dutch mine hunting vessel Schiedam cuts through the waters dividing Denmark and Sweden, part of NATO’s Baltic Sentry mission to protect underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
NATO hastily pulled together the patrol mission last month after several electricity and telecommunications cables were severed on the Baltic Sea floor in recent months.
Those incidents came amid soaring tensions between the West and Russia over Moscow’s war in Ukraine, exacerbated by Finland and Sweden subsequently joining NATO.
Many European officials and experts suspect the cable cuts are acts of sabotage, part of a Russian “hybrid war” against Ukraine’s Western allies.
The Schiedam’s captain, Sander Klop, said NATO’s beefed up presence in the Baltic was aimed at guaranteeing security in a sea now bordered entirely by NATO members, with the exception of Russia.
“Our intention is to de-escalate the situation, to make sure that the infrastructure is safe and that all the surrounding countries have their internet and their fossil fuels,” he told AFP.
In the Schiedam’s control room, the crew monitor screens hooked up to surveillance equipment normally used to detect mines.
“We’re looking for anything that is suspicious and out of the ordinary,” said Bas, an officer on lookout duty.
