EU Makes Russia Directly Liable for Recent Sabotage Acts in Europe
The European Union is for the first time making Russia directly responsible for the recent surge in sabotage acts in Europe.
“Sabotage in Europe has increased since Russia started its war against Ukraine. The latest sabotage attempts in the Baltic Sea are not isolated incidents, but rather part of a pattern of deliberate and coordinated actions to damage our digital and energy infrastructure” said EU Chief Diplomat Kaja Kallas to the Welt.
The background of Kallas’ statements is the damage to the important underwater cable “Estlink 2” in the Baltic Sea on the previous Wednesday. It is a 170-kilometer long high-voltage line between Finland and Estonia. The Finnish authorities suspect sabotage and have detained the oil tanker “Eagle S” under the Cook Islands flag. The ship’s anchor could have caused the damage to the cable. According to the EU, the ship is part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” – tankers and other cargo ships that Russia uses to circumvent sanctions, particularly in oil transport.
Kallas added, “Russia’s shadow fleet endangers the environment and fills Russia’s war chest. Now these ships are also under suspicion of carrying out sabotage acts.” She announced that the EU would take “stronger measures to counter the risks emanating from these ships.”
The EU Chief Diplomat also commented on the crash of a passenger plane in Kazakhstan with 38 dead, for which Kremlin Chief Vladimir Putin apologized over the weekend, but did not accept direct responsibility: “There are more and more indications that the Russian air defense system shot down the passenger plane. While the facts are slowly emerging, the responsibility for this tragedy ultimately lies with Moscow.” Russia’s war against Ukraine has “created the conditions for this tragedy to occur.”
Kallas called on Washington to take a strong and firm stance against Russia, even under the presidency of Donald Trump: “Help for Ukraine is not an alms, but an investment in the security of all of us. If the United States takes a strong stance against Russia, it prevents trouble with China. Supporting Ukraine preserves the Americans from future conflicts.”
To be able to financially support Ukraine more strongly in the future, new ways should be explored, according to Kallas. She said, “Russia should pay for the damage it has caused. Kiev’s demand for compensation is legitimate. We should discuss how some of the frozen (Russian) assets or the entire amount can be used to strengthen Ukraine.” So far, the EU has only absorbed the interest on the frozen assets and invested it in military equipment for Ukraine, while the Russian central bank reserves (around 210 billion euros) remained untouched.