As sabotage allegations swirl, NATO struggles to secure the Baltic Sea

Navy divers of the Latvian Armed Forces take part in NATO exercise Freezing Winds 24, led by the Finnish Navy, in the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea, Finland, November 23, 2024. Finnish Defence Forces/Handout via REUTERS FILE - A view of the anchor of the Chinese ship, the bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, in the sea of Kattegat, near the City of Grenaa in Jutland, Denmark, November 20, 2024.

On Nov. 18, hours after two communication cables were severed in the Baltic Sea, 30 NATO vessels and 4,000 military staff took to the same body of water for one of northern Europe's largest naval exercises.