The Lawfare Podcast Lawfare Daily: Russia’s Shadow War in the Baltic Sea
Feb 14, 2025
Minna Ålander, an Associate Fellow at Chatham House with a focus on European maritime security, joins to delve into recent incidents damaging underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, possibly linked to Russian sabotage. The conversation highlights NATO’s efforts to enhance maritime security and the implications for civilian life. They discuss Russia's shadow fleet that allows it to bypass sanctions, environmental concerns, and the challenges of attributing responsibility in a landscape fraught with espionage tactics.
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Limited Impact on Civilians
- Underwater cable damage has caused reparation costs but hasn't significantly impacted civilian life.
- Redundancy in infrastructure has proven effective in mitigating disruptions.
Eagle S Incident
- The Eagle S incident, where a ship dragged its anchor over power cables, could have been much worse.
- The incident raised questions about potential connections to the Baltic states' decoupling from the Russian energy grid.
Hybrid Warfare and Infrastructure Vulnerability
- Attacks on undersea cables could be a form of hybrid warfare, providing adversaries with valuable information on resilience.
- These attacks exploit vulnerabilities in infrastructure laid without consideration for such threats.