The Estonian Navy will take measures against ships that pose a threat to the infrastructure of the Baltic Sea, even if they are in international waters, Deputy Commander of the country’s Navy Johan-Elias Seljama said.
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Earlier, the ERR broadcasting company reported that the Estonian parliamentary commission supported amendments to legislation that would allow the military to respond to threats with the use of force in the maritime exclusive economic zone.
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“If there is a threat that they (the vessels) are going to destroy critical infrastructure, we will be forced to intervene,” Seljamaa said.
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He added that this would also apply to “international waters.”
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The EstLink 2 power transmission line between Finland and Estonia went down on December 25, the Finnish electricity grid company Fingrid reported earlier. Finnish police suspect that the Eagle S vessel flying the flag of the Cook Islands anchored EstLink 2 cable. Finnish customs claims without evidence that the Eagle S vessel is allegedly involved in the transportation of Russian energy resources. Law enforcement officers are investigating a criminal case of aggravated harm. The investigation is being led by the Central Criminal Police of Finland.
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Three more underwater telecommunications cables between Estonia and Finland went down on December 26. Two cables belonging to telecommunications company Elisa were severed, and one cable belonging to Citic Telecom was damaged.
