NATO and its eight Baltic Sea allies say they are stepping up efforts to deter 'any attempts at sabotage' in the wake of a series of incidents that have damaged key undersea power and telecommunications cables.

NATO launched 'Baltic Sentry', a new naval mission to prevent attacks on cable infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. The alliance says Russia is to blame for recent incidents, but can increased NATO patrols make a difference?

The Baltic Sea operation in the region bordering Russia comes as European fears of sabotage mount after a string of disruptions to underwater cables.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says the alliance is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region

By Anne Kauranen, Essi Lehto and Andreas Rinke HELSINKI (Reuters) -NATO countries will deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and naval drones in the Baltic Sea to help protect critical infrastructure and reserve the right to take action against ships suspected of posing a security threat,

NATO announced a new mission on Tuesday to better protect critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea with significantly more ships, aircraft and drones, as concerns about Russian aggression in the region grow.

Estonian naval ships are taking part in stepped-up patrols in the Baltic Sea by NATO countries after undersea power and communications cables have been damaged in recent months.

A large Nato flotilla has gathered off the coast of Estonia, with the goal of securing the critical undersea cables and pipelines that run across the Baltic Sea. This mission comes in response to a series of incidents where important infrastructure was damaged,

"Ruptures of undersea cables that have rattled European security officials in recent months were likely the result of maritime accidents rather than Russian sabotage, according to several U.S. and European intelligence officials,