“We will react more decisively,” General Wiesław Kukuła told reporters after an EU Military Committee meeting. “Expect more allied vessels operating in the Baltic and faster signaling of our intent to board or shadow ships that refuse inspection or look suspicious.”
Tanker “Jaguar” escorted out
Early Wednesday, the Estonian navy, backed by a patrol aircraft and helicopter, escorted the Gabon-flagged tanker Jaguar—linked to Russia’s sanctions-evading oil fleet—out of Estonian territorial waters. Tallinn said the measure protected seabed infrastructure.
Estonia’s foreign ministry summoned Moscow’s charge d’affaires after a Russian Su-27 crossed into allied airspace in what Tallinn called an intimidation attempt.
NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre scrambled jets from the Baltic Air Policing mission.
“Maritime policing” concept
Kukuła said NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe has agreed to draft procedures mirroring its long-running Air Policing mission: “continuous, 24/7 surveillance and graduated response at sea.”
Uncrewed surface vessels and long-endurance drones will supplement manned ships to shorten reaction times, he added.
Rising tensions
Western officials say Russia’s “shadow fleet” of aging tankers carries sanctioned oil via the Baltic, raising collision and spill risks. The latest incident follows cable sabotage off Sweden and leaking gas pipelines, blamed by Stockholm on “state actors.”
Kukuła said Poland, Sweden and Finland have offered extra corvettes for rotational patrols, while Germany will provide a Baltic submarine for intelligence. NATO defense ministers are due to endorse the scheme in Brussels next month.
(jh)
Source: PAP