Estonian Parliament to Vote on Bill Allowing Military to Sink Civil Ships
The Estonian parliament is likely to vote on a bill that would grant the country’s military the authority to sink civilian ships that pose a threat to national security, according to the state-run Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) on Tuesday.
The proposal comes in the wake of heightened tensions with Russia and widespread suspicions that Russia may have sabotaged underwater cables in the Baltic Sea. Moscow has consistently denied these allegations.
The law, set for its final reading on Wednesday, would give Estonian defense forces the power to use force in national waters and the country’s exclusive economic zone to protect critical infrastructure, ports, facilities and ships.
The sinking of a civilian ship would be permissible if the potential damage is less than the harm that would result if the ship were to continue operating, according to the bill.
Military and naval commanders would be required to notify the ship’s owner or the country of the ship’s flag after using force, the proposal states.
Grigore-Kalev Stoicescu, the chairman of the Estonian parliamentary defense committee, drew comparisons to the 9/11 attacks, but emphasized that the law would not lead to the sinking of ships due to incidents like cable damage.
Juri Saska, a former commander of the Estonian Navy, warned that hostile actors could use civilian ships as a means of attack on the country and expressed hope that politicians would take responsibility for potential incidents.
Estonia was one of the countries affected by the damage to an undersea cable between Estonia and Finland in December. Western investigators have so far found no evidence to support the widespread allegations that Russia was behind the incident and Moscow has denied any involvement, calling the speculation “absurd”.
Following the suspected sabotage, the NATO increased its military presence in the Baltic Sea, prompting a warning from Moscow that it would respond appropriately to any “violations” by NATO ships.