On Thursday, Russia accused NATO and Western nations of leveling "evidence-free" accusations concerning Russian involvement in damaging undersea cables to hinder Russian oil exports.
Last month, Finnish authorities detained a tanker carrying Russian oil, suspecting it of causing damage to critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz mentioned the possibility of targeting Russia's "shadow fleet" with sanctions to safeguard undersea installations.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized NATO for fabricating narratives to justify increasing military presence in the region. Zakharova stated, "The underlying aim is to restrict Russian oil exports at any cost and lay the groundwork for imposing arbitrary restrictions on international shipping in the Baltic Sea."