Russia alleges ‘threats’ from three Baltic countries

Russia views NATO as a threat in the Baltic region, including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, particularly regarding Russian ports and shipping, according to Nikolai Patrushev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide and former Secretary of the Russian Security Council, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

Patrushev said that predictions about the “situation in the Baltic [Sea]” show that NATO’s European naval forces are deliberately increasing tensions in the region.

“There is a high probability of further threats to Russian port infrastructure and freedom of shipping,” he said.

He claims NATO continues its policy of blocking Russia in the region, disregarding efforts to restore dialogue between Moscow and Washington. Patrushev also added that the escalation in the Baltic Sea was partly caused by the United Kingdom.

“Additional forces have been deployed to the Baltic Sea since the end of last year as part of the Baltic Sentinel operation, supposedly to counter the increasingly frequent sabotage,” he said.

Russia believes NATO is practicing cyberattacks on Russian ships’ navigation systems, aiming to cause emergencies, including accidents.

Moscow has been accused of severing underwater cables in the North Sea as recently as December 2024 when a Finnish power cable was damaged with suspicions pointing toward a Russian tanker. 

“Experts are inclined to believe that NATO countries themselves are the organisers, sponsors and executors of the increasingly frequent emergencies on merchant ships and the failure of subsea infrastructure,” Patrushev said.

NATO naval forces are allegedly planning to increase their terrorist activities targeting Russian underwater pipelines, tankers, and bulk carriers.

In recent years, Russia has expressed discontent with NATO’s expansion and the growing Western influence over the Baltic countries. The Kremlin uses national security concerns to justify its imperial ambitions, employing hybrid warfare tactics such as cyberattacks, disinformation, and other measures to destabilize the region.

It was reported in January that Russia was rehearsing an attack on Finland and other countries on NATO’s eastern flank. The Kremlin began military exercises simulating a potential assault.

Previously, Putin has described his vision of Russia as a 17th-century Russian Empire, and NATO sources suggest that these intentions should be taken literally.