This view was shared by Estonian political journalist and diplomat Harry Tiido in a interview with Ukrinform.

“The creation of such patrols is becoming an urgent necessity. This is not only a question of the Baltic Sea. There are also concerns about transatlantic cables. Let us recall the incident with a Russian warship in Irish waters, where it was simply pushed back because it was in an area where there are transatlantic cables,” Tiido said.

He noted that the British military was already considering using underwater drones to monitor cable sites.

“Considering the recent incident in November, in which two communications cables were damaged in the Baltic, a Chinese ship was involved. Reports suggest that it dragged an anchor for 160 to 180 km. It is hard to imagine that the captain ignored it or did not do it. I understand that something was wrong, because it would slow down the ship and increase fuel consumption,” Tiido stressed.

He also highlighted China’s interest in underwater communications networks in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. “There they are using a different tactic: trying to route communications through nodes equipped with Chinese technology. With this equipment, they can monitor what is happening. So this is a very serious problem and extensive. Additional measures are necessary to ensure the security of underwater communications,” concluded the Estonian expert.

As Ukrinform reported, in late November, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk proposed that the Baltic and Scandinavian allies establish a joint mission to patrol the Baltic Sea and protect the region’s critical infrastructure.