Chinese researchers apply for patents for ‘submarine cable cutting devices,’ while Russian experts boast on television that cable-cutting will

NATO is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region after a string of incidents that have heightened fears of Russian sabotage and spying in the strategic region, the alliance's leader said on Tuesday.

The move marks yet another step in the systematic military encircling of Russia by the US-led military alliance, which continues to back the far-right Ukrainian regime in a war aimed at inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow and subjugating its territory to semi-colonial status.

The Baltic Sea operation in the region bordering Russia comes as European fears of sabotage mount after a string of disruptions to underwater cables.

The operation, dubbed “Baltic Sentry,” will dispatch national contributions as well as joint assets to the strategically located body of water.