Intelligence officials in the U.S. and Europe have suggested that recent incidents damaging critical cables in the Baltic Sea were accidental, according to a Washington Post report. Western geostrategic self-deception has overly emphasized fears of escalation and cornering Russia.

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,

Germany has deployed an underwater stealth drone to patrol the Baltic Sea in an attempt to confront Chinese and Russian saboteurs. First reported by The Telegraph, the Blue Whale drone was produced by Israeli defense firm Elta in light of recent cable cuts across the Baltic Sea.

Crew on board an oil tanker accused of sabotaging undersea power and communications cables in the Baltic Sea were poised to cut other cables and pipelines when Finnish authorities boarded the vessel last month,

A French Navy Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft was illuminated by the fire-control radar of a Russian long-range air defense system, while flying over the Baltic Sea earlier this week, according to France’s Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.

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 loaded oil tanker that lost the ability to manoeuvre in the Baltic Sea near the German island of Rügen has been towed to the city harbour of Sassnitz. The stricken tanker Eventin, loaded with 99,000 tons of oil,

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.

The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022 not only escalated geopolitical tensions but also led to the largest methane leak in history. About 512,000 tons of gas entered the atmosphere and persisted in protected marine areas,

U.S. volumes could give way to increases, but that depends on carriers’ plans in the coming weeks, said analyst Freightos.

EU sanctions and new US measures have led to a decline in Russian oil shipments via the Baltic Sea, impacting the shadow fleet and raising concerns about the condition of vessels operating in the region.