Not letting the Baltic Sea be a "NATO lake", Russia increases hybrid warfare, deploys super missiles in Belarus

“Moscow is not at all fond of the notion that the Baltic Sea is a NATO ‘lake’,” Russian political analyst Konstantin Kalachev said.

NATO member states in the Baltic region should prepare for a prolonged conflict with Moscow, experts say. (Source: Atlantic Council)

Russia has been stepping up hybrid warfare tactics in the Baltic Sea and NATO member states in the region should prepare for a protracted conflict with Moscow, experts say, after fibre-optic cables connecting Finland and Sweden were severed and navigation systems disrupted.

This week, Berlin accused a Russian cargo ship of recently firing flares at a German military helicopter, a development seen as another sign of rising tensions in the Baltic Sea.

“Moscow is not at all fond of the notion that the Baltic Sea is a NATO ‘lake’,” Russian political analyst Konstantin Kalachev said.

Meanwhile, former Danish naval commander Nils Wang noted: “The Baltic Sea is in a gray area between war and peace , where NATO countries must be ready to deal with all forms of harassment.” He said Russia wanted to demonstrate that “basically, they can still make it difficult for NATO to operate in the Baltic Sea.”

In another development, on February 6, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to deploy the Oreshnik missile system on Belarusian territory, due to concerns about the situation in the border area with Poland and Lithuania.

President Putin said deployment could begin in the second half of 2025 as missile production ramps up. The Oreshnik system will be part of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, but Belarus will have the right to determine its targets.

On the same day, the two leaders signed an agreement on bilateral security assurances at a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State in Minsk. President Putin affirmed that the agreement includes the use of all forces, including Russia's nuclear weapons.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/khong-de-bien-baltic-la-ho-cua-nato-nga-tang-cuong-chien-tranh-hon-hop-trien-khai-sieu-ten-lua-tai-belarus-296597.html