Photo:Jussi Nukari/Lehtikuva/AFP/Getty
Against the backdrop of repeated incidents involving damage to deep-sea cables in the Baltic Sea that could be sabotage, Sweden has decided to actively contribute to NATO’s operational activities. This was announced by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson during a security conference in the Swedish city of Söllen.
According to Kristersson, Sweden will send three warships and a radar reconnaissance aircraft to participate in the Alliance’s patrol operation. “These ships will be placed under NATO command and will contribute to enhancing maritime situational awareness in the region. This is a significant and important contribution from our country,” Swedish Defence Minister Paul Johnson said at the same conference.
The NATO operation, which includes patrols in the Baltic Sea, is being conducted amid suspicions that the so-called “shadow fleet” of the Russian Federation and the Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 are involved in the damage to the cables. Officially, the NATO headquarters in Brussels does not specify how many alliance ships are involved in this operation, but according to the dpa news agency, there may be about ten of them.
Without making direct accusations, Kristersson said at a briefing in Selena that the ongoing “strange events” in the Baltic Sea suggest hostile intentions. “Sweden and its neighbours are not going to stand for this anymore,” he said, emphasising the country’s readiness to resolutely defend stability in the region.
