Estonian Navy
Von Juri Rescheto 

Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by Juri Rescheto
00:36 Meelis Kants | Sakala Commander
01:15 Meelis Kants | Sakala Commander
02:01 Juri Rescheto | DW Riga Bureau Chief | Gulf of Finland

Script:

This oil tanker - discovered by the Estonian patrol ship “Sakala” in the middle of the Gulf of Finland. The tanker turns out to be a Russian ship. The “Sakala” approaches the vessel, looking for any suspicious activity.    
A ship is considered suspicious if it suddenly slows down, makes a sudden turn or refuses to communicate with the patrol craft.    
Checks like these are now routine for the Sakala's crew. 
 
SOT Captain Meelis Kants, commander Sakala: 
“Yesterday we saw something hanging from an anchor chain on a cargo vessel. So, we went closer. We contacted the vessel and we checked. In the end, it was just the fire hose tangled up.”  
  
The “Sakala” with the registration M314 is actually a minehunter. Its mission is to locate and neutralize sea mines in times of war. However, the “Sakala” is currently on a different mission along with other NATO ships in the Baltic Sea. 
  
SOT Captain Meelis Kants, commander Sakala: 
“The task of my ship is to patrol the assigned area, monitor all traffic that passes through here, to make sure that nothing suspicious or bad happens in this area.”  

With a crew of 38, the “Sakala” is one of three Estonian Navy vessels currently patrolling the Gulf of Finland, a part of the Baltic Sea that is around eighty kilometers wide.    
   
The fact that a minehunting vessel is on patrol in the Baltic Sea show is a reaction to suspicious incidents in these waters in recent months.      
  
Aufsager Juri Rescheto, DW-Korrespondent:  
“Increased vigilance is the order of the day here in the Gulf of Finland. After a series of suspected acts of sabotage, there are going to be more patrols on ships like this one.”  
  
Oil tankers from the so-called Russian shadow fleet are allegedly behind the sabotage campaign, including suspected attacks on undersea communications cables. Moscow is accused of using them as a weapon in hybrid warfare against the West.   

 Most of the tankers reportedly are old, often with an obscure ownership structure in order to circumvent Western sanctions. 
The increased patrols in the Baltic Sea are also intended to provide more security for the population on land. Especially now, when many people in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are increasingly concerned that the Russians could soon attack one of their countries as a test of NATO solidarity. 
  
VoxPops 
Young man:  
 “They're putting us all on trial.”  
 Woman:  
“It's very unsafe.”  
Man with hat:  
“They've always been dangerous. If they break up Ukraine, they'll come here next.” 
  
Back in the Baltic Sea, the Sakala takes part in an exercise with a Finnish warship. Finland has been a member of NATO since 2023. With this exercise and the patrols, NATO wants to show a more robust presence, strengthening its deterrence against Russia.