 "Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk attends a press conference, following a meeting with Latvia's Prime Minister Evika Silina (not pictured), in Warsaw, Poland, on February 29, 2024. Reuters File")
Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Wednesday said that Poland’s military took action after a vessel from Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” was spotted carrying out suspicious maneuvers near an undersea power cable linking Poland and Sweden.
The incident comes amid heightened Nato vigilance in the Baltic Sea, following a series of disruptions to power lines, communication networks, and gas pipelines since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“A Russian ship from the ‘shadow fleet’ covered by sanctions performed suspicious maneuvers near the power cable connecting Poland with Sweden,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X.
“After the effective intervention of our military, the ship sailed to one of the Russian ports,” he added.
The term “shadow fleet” refers to vessels used by Russia to transport oil, weapons, and grain in defiance of international sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine.
Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz later told reporters that a patrol aircraft had successfully driven the vessel away, and that the Polish Navy’s ORP Heweliusz was en route to the area.
Vice Admiral Krzysztof Jaworski, Poland’s Maritime Component Commander, identified the tanker as Sun, which is registered under the flag of Antigua.
The Russian embassy in Warsaw declined to comment. Moscow has previously denied involvement in any undersea sabotage in the Baltic Sea, accusing Western nations of using such allegations to undermine its maritime oil trade.
Impact Shorts
View AllThe 600-megawatt submarine power cable connects Karlshamn in Sweden to Ustka in northern Poland, enabling both countries to share electricity when it’s more cost-effective.
A spokesperson for Poland’s grid operator, PSE, confirmed the cable remained operational. As of 11:30 GMT, more than 600 megawatts were flowing from Poland to Sweden.
“This shows how dangerous the times we live in are, how serious the situation in the Baltic Sea is,” Reuters quoted Kosiniak-Kamysz as saying at a news conference.
“Since Sweden and Finland joined the North Atlantic Alliance, the Baltic Sea has become a key marine area, where the largest number of incidents occur, the most common incidents related to cable breaks… and sabotage,” he added.
He vowed a “firm response” from Poland and Nato to any attack on Baltic Sea infrastructure.
Sweden’s coast guard declined to comment. Reuters was not immediately able to reach Sweden’s minister for civil defence.
With inputs from agencies