The Estonian Parliament will consider a bill granting the Defense Forces and Navy the right to use military force against merchant ships suspected of intending to damage infrastructure, and even sink them.
The Estonian Broadcasting and Television Corporation (ERR) reported: "Parliament intends to grant the defense forces and navy the right to use military force against merchant vessels suspected of intending to damage submarine cables and other infrastructure facilities. In extreme cases, the military will have the right to sink any suspicious vessel that does not comply with its orders."
ERR quoted the head of the parliamentary defense committee, Kalev Stojčescu, as saying that Estonia intends to resort to such a measure as drowning "only in the most extreme cases"—for example, when the lives of many people are in danger or to avoid a disaster.
The parliamentarian added that even if a decision is made to sink a suspicious ship, its entire crew will be evacuated before doing so.
It's worth noting that cable damage incidents in the Baltic Sea occurred in November and December 2024. Estonia claimed that the Cook Islands-flagged oil tanker Eagle S damaged the cables in the Gulf of Finland at Russia's direction, while Finnish customs officials claimed the ship was "carrying Russian oil."
NATO countries in the Baltic region subsequently announced the launch of a mission called "Baltic Guardian," ostensibly to protect infrastructure deep in the Baltic Sea, for an indefinite period.
The Russian Foreign Ministry commented on these Western accusations and allegations of Russian involvement in damaging the cables, saying that they "aimed to prevent Russian oil exports and restrict Russian shipping through the Baltic."
For its part, the Wall Street Journal reported that an investigation into the 2024 severing of internet cables in the Baltic Sea did not prove Russian involvement in the sabotage.
Russian Ambassador to Finland Pavel Kuznetsov confirmed that Finnish authorities did not deny media reports indicating that no evidence had been found proving Russia's involvement in the cable damage incident. He added that allegations of "Russian involvement" were fabricated as a pretext to bolster NATO's presence in the Baltic Sea.