NATO Sees Success in its Baltic Anti-Sabotage Mission

NATO Maritime Command is pleased with the results of its enhanced patrols in the Baltic, which were ramped up in response to a string of suspicious and possibly intentional subsea damage incidents. Russia's "shadow fleet" tankers are closely watched by NATO forces because of concerns of malicious anchor-dragging and other acts of sabotage in the Baltic, and a spokesman recently told Moscow Times that the patrol efforts are working.

"These shippers, these illegal shippers, are aware that they're being watched very closely, and we believe that in itself is a deterrent," NATO Maritime Command public affairs chief Cmdr. Arlo Abrahamson (USN) told Moscow Times.

There have been no reported incidents of severed cables since last December, when the Russia-linked tanker Eagle S dragged its anchor through several telecom lines in the Gulf of Finland. That does not mean an absence of activity: multiple suspicious movements have been reported, and several vessels have been boarded and detained, like the shadow-fleet tanker Kivala in April 2025 and the tanker Boracay earlier this month. Russia made at least one vessel detention of its own, the interdiction of the tanker Green Admire in May 2025.

The case of the Boracay shows that the nature of the threat is not limited to subsea. The vessel is suspected of serving as one of several launch platforms for the unauthorized drone intrusions at the Copenhagen airport and Danish military bases in late September. French forces boarded Boracay as it passed through the English Channel on its outbound trip, and the boarding team arrested the tanker's master and chief mate.

After the drone incident, NATO promised to further increase its presence in the Baltic, to include new surveillance systems and the addition of another air defense frigate. The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Bulkeley joined the mission early this month, adding its Aegis radar to the effort to spot drone threats - the first time that the service has dispatched a surface combatant to assist Baltic Sentry

"We're very keen to understand that the threat is not eliminated. There's possibilities for illegal shippers or others to cause accidents and carry out malign activities, which is why Baltic Sentry continues," Cmdr. Abrahamson told Moscow Times.