„What we have heard (...) both from our Navy and the (State – ELTA) Border Guard Service is that the capacity is there, the people are trained, the resources are sufficient, and the cooperation between these institutions and the security institutions is also ongoing. I think this is optimistic,“ Jeglinskas told journalists at the Seimas on Wednesday.
However, he said that although allocating resources between partners is more complex, NATO ships and the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force will start monitoring the Baltic Sea.
„At the international level, it is a different matter, but again, NATO is launching the exercise. (...) We will see when it becomes operational, which is (...) more than 10 sections where these patrols will be carried out; it will probably act as a more deterrent factor; they will be able to accompany to observe, and they have the anti-submarine as well as the submarine capability to see what is going on,“ he said.
According to Mr Jeglinskas, the Russian „shadow fleet“ will increase the number of provocations in the region in the future, but the country's institutions need to trust each other and propose the necessary changes to the legislation to the Seimas, which, according to the chairman of the NSGK, is willing to consider them urgently.
„The point was to bring all the institutions together to talk, to understand the picture and to increase trust in each other. (...) We are always ready to hear what legal changes are needed, which will be the priority with those changes. (...) The Seimas is the enabling institution that will allow the adoption of certain laws important for protecting these objects,“ the MP said.
He added that Russia aims to generate revenue from oil sales by transporting them by ship in the Baltic Sea, but it uses outdated vessels that pose a risk to the infrastructure on the seabed.
„The captains and crews who operate these ships are inexperienced, so the number of incidents is unlikely to decrease,“ Mr Jeglinskas noted.
The meeting also discussed the security situation at the Independence liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, which Lithuania bought out late last year, and other threats as the Baltic States disconnect from the Russian BRELL electricity system and synchronise with the Western grid in February.
„Thank God we are disconnecting from Russia. What actions are possible? What actions can Russia take in the disinformation arena, hybrid arena, and kinetic arena?“ Jeglinskas stressed.
ELTA recalls that during the holiday week, the submarine electricity and telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea connecting Finland and Estonia ceased functioning.
The countries are connected by two EstLink cables—a 350 MW and a 650 MW link. On 25 December at 12:26 p.m., an accident shut down the 650 MW EstLink 2 DC link.
According to preliminary data from Finnish officials, sabotage is the main reason for the failure of the EstLink 2 link, as three other offshore cables were cut on 25 December in addition to the link. This Monday, it was reported that only the telecommunication cables were repaired.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb called on the social network „X“ to prevent the risk posed by Russian shadow fleet vessels.
In November, a similar incident was also recorded in the Baltic Sea when two telecommunication cables were severed between Sweden, Lithuania, Finland, and Germany. It is believed that the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3, which was sailing in the Baltic Sea at the time, deliberately cut them close to the incident site.
President Gitanas Nausėda has said that suspicious ships in the Baltic Sea could be monitored more closely. When they approach critical infrastructure, they could be escorted and patrolled, and technological measures could be put in place to track their actions.
Following reports of the failure of the underwater electricity link between Finland and Estonia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kęstutis Budrys, also proposed raising the issue of imposing sanctions on the so-called Russian shadow fleet at the European Union (EU) level.
Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has also said that the Baltic and Scandinavian countries are working on a joint action plan to tackle threats in the region.
