Norwegian parlt committee chair: Norway must support Estonia, Finland in hybrid warfare

TALLINN - Cable disruptions in the Baltic Sea might be part of hybrid warfare and Norway needs to support Estonia and Finland in this regard, Ine Eriksen Søreide, head of the Storting's foreign and defense committee and former Norwegian foreign minister, wrote in an opinion piece for Norway's largest daily Aftenposten.

This may be an example of hybrid warfare aimed at creating fear and stress, Søreide wrote in Aftenposten, describing the incidents as very serious.

"There is also an increased risk that Norway may experience this as well. We must prepare to deal with and respond to such attacks. In general, sabotage and hybrid warfare require a shift in how we think about protecting ourselves," Søreide wrote in an article published on Friday. "It is now crucial to support our allies in Finland and Estonia and provide assistance where possible."

Søreide emphasized, however, that conclusions should not be drawn before determining what happened and who is behind the cable disruptions.

Erik Røsæg, professor of private law at the University of Oslo, told Aftenposten that cables are a vulnerable system.

"They are completely unprotected over a vast area. Under international law, ships are allowed to sail there, and the only thing the affected countries can really do is monitor the area and intervene immediately if something happens," Røsæg noted. "The Finnish Coast Guard had every right to board the ship and investigate, as they did, but stronger measures are not regulated under international law."

Røsæg stated that ships cannot be prevented from sailing through the Øresund Strait, located between the Scandinavian Peninsula and Zealand, which connects the Baltic Sea to the Kattegat. Traffic in the strait is governed by treaties from 1857, which, according to Røsæg, grant ships nearly unconditional passage rights.

"Sanctions against Russia do not restrict the right to sail through Øresund, but if a country uses its ships to commit violations of international law, countries have the right to defend themselves and take countermeasures," Røsæg explained, adding that the situation is very serious and suggesting that much points to deliberate sabotage.

"One can assume that Russia and China are doing this to test the readiness [of Baltic Sea states]," he said.