The Russian Navy is still active in the Baltic Sea but there has been a significant drop in the number of provocations, Captain Tomas Skurdenis, chief of staff at the Lithuanian Navy, says.
“The security situation is changing on land, but not yet at sea. [The situation] is constantly monitored, but the Russian Navy remains active. The number of provocations in the Baltic Sea has significantly gone down,” he told reporters as five NATO ships arrived in Klaipėda.
In the past, he said, Russian ships used to come very close to NATO ships and Russian planes used to fly low over NATO ships.
“We have not seen this in the Baltic Sea lately. What we are seeing is that a large number of forces are being moved from the Kaliningrad area to the front lines near Ukraine. This is probably the reason why the Russian Navy is no longer so active or provocative,” Skurdenis said.
Klaipėda will be hosting the German replenishment ship Werra, the current flagship for Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1), and the minehunters Weilheim (Germany), Lobelia (Belgium), Willemstad (The Netherlands), and Skalvis (Lithuania) until Monday.
“We are here on duty in the Baltic Sea for our normal business that is countermining, especially to ensure that sea lines of communications and territorial waters are safe,” SNMCMG1 Commander Artur Krüger said.
According to Skurdenis, a larger group of ships will soon be deployed in the Baltic Sea to counter air targets.
“Right now, we have this group in the Baltic Sea for anti-mine operations, but soon a larger group, which is designed to counter aerial targets and to defend our sky with serious missile weapons, will enter the Baltic Sea,” he said.
SNMCMG1 is a NATO standing mine countermeasures immediate reaction force whose role is to provide NATO with an immediate operational response capability. It operates in Northern European waters where it conducts mine clearance operations at sea, and participates in other NATO countries’ multinational maritime exercises and exercises with NATO partners. SNMCMG1 ships can be deployed in the event of a crisis response.
“We are here for deterrence and defence,” Krüger said.
The Lithuanian mine sweeper Skalvis joined the group in early July. According to Skurdenis, the vessel is expected to complete its mission during the Christmas or New Year period, depending on the mission.
“Their main task [...] is to watch underwater communication lines, to search for mines, and to respond and reinforce NATO’s eastern flank by being permanently present in the Baltic Sea,” he said.
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