An explosive incident took place in the Baltic Sea: the crew of a Russian ship fired signal munitions at a German Bundeswehr helicopter.
The German press agency in Brussels indicates that the helicopter was used for reconnaissance purposes.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) has already commented on this on the sidelines of a NATO meeting. However, the 43-year-old did not provide any details.
The use of signal ammunition is actually only common in emergency situations. Baerbock had pointed out that there are always ships in the Baltic Sea involved in evading sanctions due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Baerbock announces more patrols
The Green politician also announced that monitoring of pipelines and data cables in the Baltic Sea should be expanded. Protection of critical infrastructure through patrols must be expanded, she described. The reason is the increase in hybrid attacks coming from Russia and its supporters.
As examples, Baerbock mentioned the destruction of cables, the disruption of the global positioning system GPS and the incident with the helicopter and the tanker of the German Bundeswehr.
Suspicion also against Chinese ships
Most recently, damage occurred within a short period of time to two fiber optic cables in the Baltic Sea in November. This concerned a cable running between Sweden and Lithuania and one cable between Finland and Germany. In both cases the cause of this is still unclear. Swedish authorities are investigating possible sabotage. The focus of the investigators is on a Chinese ship called “Yi Peng 3”, which is said to have passed over the affected parts of the cables at the time. Previously, a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was severely damaged last year.
Following the damage to communications cables in the Baltic Sea, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently proposed joint surveillance of the sea by the navies of the western states.
In addition to Russia, China, North Korea and Iran in particular are accused of wanting to weaken states in Europe with so-called hybrid attacks. This umbrella term includes actions that state and non-state actors use to harm other countries without waging open war. As a rule, they are difficult or impossible to attribute to a specific author.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
