The European Union (EU) is considering the introduction of joint maritime patrols and annual naval exercises to combat Russian intelligence ships and protect critical maritime infrastructure, said Financial Times (FT) EU Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius.
According to Mr Sinkevičius, the updated EU maritime strategy will be made public today, March 10. The document will also provide for the expansion of satellite monitoring and the exchange of intelligence data between member states.
The Commissioner said that the need to protect critical maritime infrastructure and ships from physical and cyber threats arose following the explosions of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
According to the publication, EU member states report increased Russian activity around offshore wind farms, oil and gas drilling platforms and telecommunications cables in the North Sea. In particular, this was stated by the intelligence services of the Netherlands and Belgium.
On February 22, the Belgian authorities announced the launch of an investigation into the “suspicious behavior” of a Russian vessel near wind farms, underwater gas pipelines and communication cables. The day before, the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service had warned energy infrastructure operators in the North Sea regarding the risks of Russian sabotage.
Norway also previously released a report that assessed possible sabotage on underwater infrastructure. Oslo considers it unlikely that this will happen in 2023, but does not exclude sabotage during the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. According to the Norwegian authorities, the oil sector is the most vulnerable target.
In September 2022, there was a sabotage on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, which were intended to supply Russian gas to Europe. They were blown up in the exclusive economic zone of Denmark and Sweden. In February 2023, journalist Seymour Hersh published an article in which he stated that the United States was involved in sabotage, Washington called it a lie.
In March, Western media began to publish reports regarding the possible involvement of a pro-Ukrainian group in blowing up gas pipelines. The New York Times was the first to publish information from Western intelligence services. According to The Times, the private sponsor might be a citizen of Ukraine who is not associated with the government of Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Telegraph reported on the possible involvement of a well-known Ukrainian businessman.
More details regarding the new data can be found in Kommersant’s article “Pipe Smell”.