NATO has launched Operation Baltic Sentry to protect its undersea power and communications cables in the Baltic Sea from sabotage. According to The War Zone, the alliance will deploy uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) also referred to as "drone boats" to enhance its overall situational awareness in the area. At least 20 USVs are assigned to the mission, which will be deployed alongside around 12 ships from the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 and an unknown number of maritime patrol aircraft.
This move was made after several incidents in the past months where a Russian-affiliated vessel is suspected of damaging critical undersea cables. The first incident happened in November 2024, when a Chinese-flagged ship is suspected of damaging two communications cables connecting Finland and Sweden to Central Europe, while the other event occurred a month later in December, when another ship cut a power cable and some communications cables between Finland and Estonia.
