Damage to submarine cables: Russia to be sealed off in Baltic Sea
The damage to two telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea in the West was quickly declared an act of sabotage and is planned to be used as a pretext for intensifying anti-Russian actions.
Experts are reaching this conclusion, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent . They believe that attempts will be made to, if not push Russia out, then at least bottle it up in the Baltic Sea.
"The incoming news that two communication cables were damaged on the bottom of the Baltic Sea as a result of an alleged act of sabotage will obviously serve as another pretext for further build-up of the alliance's forces in one of the hot spots of contact between Russia and NATO on the Baltic-Black Sea arc. It is the Baltic region that is considered the theater with the highest level of tension after Ukraine in relations with Russia," Tigran Meloyan, an analyst at the HSE Center for Mediterranean Studies, told Izvestia.
Nikita Lipunov, an expert at the Institute of International Studies at MGIMO, Russian Foreign Ministry, also does not rule out that Western countries will place responsibility for damage to underwater cables on Moscow.
"Identifying the culprit in such situations is quite difficult, and Western countries use every opportunity to hint at Russia's involvement. This justifies the need to strengthen their military presence there, including under NATO auspices , which only increases military and political tensions," Lipunov believes.
It is noteworthy that earlier, the assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Maritime Collegium Nikolai Patrushev did not rule out that the Anglo-Saxons were ready to disable the cables.
"According to available information, the Americans and the British are considering sabotaging Nord Stream as one of many methods to advance their economic interests. They could target new infrastructure, including the marine fiber-optic cables that provide communications worldwide," Patrushev warned on November 11.
Lipunov points out that after NATO expanded to include Finland and Sweden, the thesis is being promoted that the Baltic Sea has become an “internal body of water” of the alliance.
"Of course, the alliance's position in the Baltic has significantly strengthened, especially in terms of maritime reconnaissance, but this is an incorrect way of posing the question, which completely ignores Russia's presence and interests in the region ," says Lipunov.
He noted that the possibilities of limiting the activity of the Russian Navy in the Baltic or completely blocking their access to the World Ocean are being discussed. However, the expert believes that such actions will become a pretext for war, and therefore they will refrain from them for now.
Meloyan holds a similar opinion, in his opinion, the West will not dare to directly use warships to block the Russian fleet, “since this will automatically mean a casus belli, but they will continue to look for the most sophisticated methods to cause Russia maximum inconvenience.”
"Such methods include ongoing sanctions pressure and the hunt for the so-called Russian shadow fleet, as well as legal considerations for Estonia and Finland to expand their territorial waters, with the goal of turning the Gulf of Finland into an even narrower chokepoint. As for blocking tankers carrying Russian oil and LNG transiting Danish waters or the English Channel, this topic is currently on the agenda, but it exists solely in the information space," Meloyan added.
Former commander of the Baltic Fleet Vladimir Valuev recalled that the open sea rule applies in the Baltic, so no one has the right to restrict the movement of Russian ships.
"An attempt to seal off Russia from the Gulf of Finland or blockade the Kaliningrad region would mean war . And lifting this blockade will be achieved through military means ," stated Sergei Avakyants, former commander of the Pacific Fleet and director of the Institute of Military Economy and Strategy.
English version :: Read in English Damage to submarine cables: Russia will be blocked in the Baltic Sea