NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says the alliance is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region

The Baltic Sea operation in the region bordering Russia comes as European fears of sabotage mount after a string of disruptions to underwater cables.

NATO launched a new Baltic Sea mission that will add military capabilities into the strategic waterway as concerns over suspected Russian sabotage and aggression in the area ratchet up.

By Anne Kauranen, Essi Lehto and Andreas Rinke HELSINKI (Reuters) -NATO countries will deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and naval drones in the Baltic Sea to help protect critical infrastructure and reserve the right to take action against ships suspected of posing a security threat,

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The incidents contributed to mounting European fears of sabotage, as NATO officials accuse Russia of a growing “destabilization campaign” over their military support for Ukraine and sanctions against Moscow.

Crew on board an oil tanker accused of sabotaging undersea power and communications cables in the Baltic Sea were poised to cut other cables and pipelines when Finnish authorities boarded the vessel last month,

The operation, dubbed "Baltic Sentry," will dispatch national contributions as well as joint assets to the strategically located body of water.

NATO has launched a mission to safeguard critical underwater infrastructure on the Baltic Sea floor. The operation follows previous incidents of interruptions to submarine cables, most likely planned by Russia.

NATO is stepping up its response over what it sees as an increasing threat to vital infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Its new mission "Baltic Sentry" aims to protect undersea cables from sabotage after a spate of alleged attacks with a Russia-linked so-called shadow fleet involved.