NATO and its eight Baltic Sea allies say they are stepping up efforts to deter 'any attempts at sabotage' in the wake of a series of incidents that have damaged key undersea power and telecommunications cables.

The move marks yet another step in the systematic military encircling of Russia by the US-led military alliance, which continues to back the far-right Ukrainian regime in a war aimed at inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow and subjugating its territory to semi-colonial status.

NATO countries on the Baltic Sea met in Helsinki on Tuesday, looking to boost security following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables, widely blamed on Russia. NATO said in late December it would increase its presence in the region following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables between Finland and Estonia but it has yet to announce an official operation.

There have been three incidents involving damage caused to underwater power lines, data cables and a gas pipeline over the past 15 months in the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Sea operation in the region bordering Russia comes as European fears of sabotage mount after a string of disruptions to underwater cables.

Baltic NATO countries meeting in Helsinki on Tuesday vowed to boost patrol missions after several telecom and power cables were severed in the Baltic Sea in recent months, with experts and

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says the alliance is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region

NATO announced a new mission on Tuesday to better protect critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea with significantly more ships, aircraft and drones, as concerns about Russian aggression in the region grow.

NATO chief Mark Rutte has said the military alliance was launching a Baltic Sea monitoring mission following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables in recent months.

The European Union’s new digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, suggested the repeated damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea couldn’t be fully accidental, as leaders from the region prepare to gather for a NATO summit devoted to the topic.