Severed cable in the Baltic: oil tanker sabotage?
Estlink 2, a submarine power cable running between Finland and Estonia, was cut and other cables were damaged on Christmas Day. After departing from Russia, the oil tanker Eagle S was detained by the Finnish coast guard with a missing anchor and seven of its crew members are now under investigation. Europe's media see Moscow's 'shadow fleet' as an instrument of hybrid warfare – and call for tougher countermeasures.
The right reaction is difficult but necessary
Eesti Päevaleht warns that such covert attacks must not go unanswered:
“Beyond sabotage, the 'grey zone' of warfare includes intimidation, subversion, bribery and chaos. Not all these things lead to full-blown armed conflict. But they all have one element in common: they create confusion. It is difficult to prove the guilt and motives of hostile states. ... The danger of escalation is obvious, and Western decision-makers are nervous about it. Any kind of reaction will be difficult, risky or costly. But doing nothing sets the terrible precedent of attackers being able to act with impunity.”
Don't show weakness
Unless there is a tough response more acts of sabotage will follow, Ukrainska Pravda predicts:
“If yet another undersea cable 'breaks down', there could be power shortages in the Baltic states. Much also depends on whether the Finnish investigators are able to prove Russian involvement in the incident. Given the prompt detention of the tanker, the chances of this are not nil. If it is confirmed that the incident was indeed a hybrid attack and there is no strong reaction from Europe, this will be seen as a sign of weakness and encourage Moscow to carry out further acts of sabotage.”
Putin won't stop
The Russian threat will remain acute even if the war in Ukraine ends, warns Handelsblatt:
“Putin will not stop his methods of intimidation and his attempts at destabilisation even if the West fulfils his conditions, as self-proclaimed peace advocates demand. On the contrary. The attacks, sabotage, hacker attacks and disinformation campaigns show what kind of man Putin is. Even a ceasefire with Ukraine will not stop him from trying to further destabilise Western democracies. As long as Putin is in power, we will have to get used to the fact that Germany, too, will remain insecure.”
Expose this shady business
The detention of the suspect tanker was a good first step in the fight against dangerous ship traffic, writes The Times:
“That, though, is a rare triumph in the fight between law-abiding countries and a fast-growing 'shadow fleet' that violates all manner of maritime rules. Even without its suspected Christmas Day attack the tanker, Eagle S, was a hazard, part of a dangerous armada that threatens coastal states, fellow ships and the oceans themselves. ... There are lots of people keen to make money from shadow vessels but there will be far fewer if the public (and banks) find out that they're doing it.”
Finland needs help here
A long-term solution must be found for controlling the shadow fleet, demands Ilta-Sanomat:
“The sanctions imposed on the Russian shadow fleet are not enough, and Russia always finds a new way to circumvent them anyway. In the case of the Eagle S, Finland was lucky because it was in Finnish waters and could be detained. The situation would have been different in international waters. Nevertheless, it is difficult to control the ghost vessels because they cannot be banned from international waters. Finland is a constitutional state that abides by the law. A sustainable solution to the situation must be found, and Finland cannot do this alone.”