In the past year, there have been no cases of damage to underwater cables in the Baltic Sea, reported the Commander of the Latvian Navy, Admiral Maris Polenc.
In response to a question about Russia's activity near Latvia's underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, Polenc noted that after the start of NATO's Baltic Sentry operation and the increased presence of the Latvian Navy, the number of cases of damage to underwater infrastructure has significantly decreased.
"We no longer hear about anchors dragging along the bottom and damaging cables. We have not seen such incidents in the past year," emphasized Polenc.
At the same time, the Navy Commander reminded that the sea is a free shipping zone for all states, and regular maritime routes pass through areas where underwater infrastructure is located.
Speaking about monitoring the vessels of the Russian 'shadow fleet' in the Baltic Sea, Polenc noted that the Navy conducts inspections of such vessels in Latvia's territorial waters.
"Every time such vessels enter Latvian ports, we conduct inspections. This applies to all vessels included in the list of suspicious ones. I will not specify the exact numbers, but such inspections occur regularly," he stated.
Commenting on the opinions expressed in the public domain by experts that Russian vessels or ships of the 'shadow fleet' could be used as platforms for launching drones towards NATO territory, Polenc emphasized that specific evidence is required for such claims.
According to him, the Navy has indeed recorded the appearance of suspicious drones over the sea; however, they limit themselves to monitoring and gathering information if the drone does not pose a direct threat to Navy vessels.
As previously reported, after the damage to several underwater telecommunications and energy cables over a year ago, NATO began the Baltic Sentry observation mission in the Baltic Sea.
Additionally, in response to the flights of Russian drones over Poland and the appearance of unidentified drones in Denmark, NATO announced the start of the Eastern Sentry operation in early September last year, aimed at strengthening the defense of the alliance's eastern flank.
