NATO starts Baltic Sentry mission, Tusk announces increased presence

Rutte said this at a press conference, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

The Baltic Sentry mission will be led by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Christopher Cavoli. It will involve frigates, patrol aircraft, a small fleet of naval drones and other advanced technologies. In addition, work will continue with NATO allies to integrate their situational awareness tools.

According to Rutte, this mission is part of efforts to strengthen presence and surveillance in key areas for the alliance. He also emphasized the need for decisive action by law enforcement agencies to counter potential threats to security in the Baltic Sea.

At the same time, NATO, in cooperation with operating companies, plans to strengthen the protection and reliability of underwater infrastructure facilities.

Poland's  Prime Minister Donald Tusk highlighted that the Baltic Sea region has diverse infrastructure that requires protection, including cables, pipelines, and extraction platforms. He stated that evidence of dangerous incidents and acts of sabotage in the sea "points to Russia."

Tusk explained that these actions by Russia require "unprecedented decisions" and called for a radical increase in NATO's presence in the Baltic Sea. He also mentioned that Sweden, Finland, and Estonia had directly faced attacks on their infrastructure, but "all countries in the region feel the threat."

• Following a series of incidents in the Baltic Sea, Sweden decided to send three military ships and a reconnaissance plane to participate in the new NATO mission.