NATO to step up action against Russian, Chinese ‘sabotage’
Al Jazeera
Critical infrastructure in several NATO states has been damaged in recent months, with ‘sabotage’ suspected.
NATO will boost intelligence collaboration to counter Russian and Chinese “sabotage” targeting its infrastructure, the chief of the Western military alliance has announced.
Mark Rutte outlined the plan as the foreign ministers of NATO’s states gathered in Brussels on Tuesday. He spoke as questions swirled about damage to a data cable linking Sweden and Finland, the latest incident to stir suspicion.
“Over the past years, Russia and China have tried to destabilise our nations with acts of sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation and energy blackmail to intimidate us,” Rutte told reporters at the NATO gathering.
“NATO allies will continue to stand together to face these threats through a range of measures, including greater intelligence sharing and better protection of critical infrastructure.”
NATO’s intelligence-sharing push came as authorities in Sweden and Finland – both of which have joined the alliance since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – probed how the cross-border cable was severed.
