The Voice News: Poland’s military took action after detecting suspicious activity by a Russian “shadow fleet” vessel near a critical undersea power cable connecting Poland and Sweden, Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed on Wednesday. British News outlet Reuters has unveiled a news on this regard.
Increased vigilance in the Baltic Sea has followed multiple incidents involving damaged power lines, telecommunications links, and gas pipelines, particularly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“A Russian ship from the ‘shadow fleet’—already under international sanctions—was observed carrying out unusual maneuvers close to the Poland-Sweden power cable,” Tusk posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Following a prompt intervention by our armed forces, the vessel retreated to a Russian port.”
The term “shadow fleet” typically refers to Russian-owned or affiliated vessels used to transport oil, arms, or grain in breach of sanctions imposed after the Ukraine invasion.
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz later told reporters that a military patrol flight had successfully repelled the vessel, and that the Polish Navy ship ORP Heweliusz was en route to the area.
Vice Admiral Krzysztof Jaworski, Poland’s Maritime Component Commander, identified the ship as the Sun, a tanker sailing under the flag of Antigua.
The Russian Embassy in Warsaw declined to comment. Moscow has previously denied involvement in sabotage incidents in the Baltic, accusing Western countries of using such allegations to obstruct Russia’s maritime oil trade.
The undersea power link, with a capacity of 600 megawatts, connects Karlshamn in Sweden to Ustka in northern Poland. It enables energy exchange between the two countries depending on market conditions.
A spokesperson for Poland’s grid operator PSE confirmed the cable was operating normally. As of 11:30 GMT, PSE data showed more than 600 megawatts were being transmitted to Sweden.
“These events underscore the severity of the current geopolitical climate and the growing security threats in the Baltic Sea,” Defense Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz said at a press conference. “Since Sweden and Finland joined NATO, this region has become a strategic hotspot, witnessing a surge in incidents, particularly related to infrastructure sabotage.”
He pledged a “strong and decisive response” from both Poland and NATO to any future attacks on Baltic infrastructure.
Sweden’s coast guard declined to comment, and Swedish civil defense officials could not be immediately reached by Reuters.
