Russia claims Western allegations of sabotaging its undersea cables aim to limit its maritime oil exports

Russia has accused NATO and Western nations of making baseless claims regarding ships allegedly involved in the sabotage of undersea cables, which they assert is an attempt to restrict Russian oil exports by sea.

Last month, Finnish authorities confiscated a tanker carrying Russian oil, suspecting it of having damaged the Estlink 2 power line between Finland and Estonia, as well as four telecommunications cables, by dragging its anchor along the seabed.

Earlier this week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz indicated that NATO members are considering sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet in the region to safeguard critical undersea infrastructure.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, criticized NATO for what she described as the use of “myths” to justify an increased military presence in the Baltic Sea. She stated, “The true aim of these actions is to restrict Russian oil exports by any means necessary and to lay the groundwork for arbitrary limitations on international shipping in the Baltic Sea,” during a press conference.