A senior Russian official has said that Moscow will counter any moves by Western military alliance NATO to dominate the Baltic Sea. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the Russian television channel Rossiya-24 on Friday that the Western alliance's decision to increase patrols around the Baltic was further proof of NATO's "desire to turn the Baltic Sea into a NATO lake.

Russia has condemned the Western alliance for ramping up its naval presence in the so-called 'NATO lake' after alleged sabotage by Moscow-linked vessels.

Intelligence officials in the U.S. and Europe have suggested that recent incidents damaging critical cables in the Baltic Sea were accidental, according to a Washington Post report. Western geostrategic self-deception has overly emphasized fears of escalation and cornering Russia.

A spate of alleged sabotage operations against undersea cables in the Baltic Sea has raised the prospect of a dangerous 2025 in NATO's northern theater.

The mission, dubbed Baltic Sentry, follows worry over increased Russian military activity near key undersea communication cables.

Moscow will respond to attempts to disrupt shipping and abuses by NATO ships in the Baltic Sea, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

An emerging consensus among U.S. and European security services holds that accidents were the cause of damage to Baltic seabed energy and communications lines.

Increased Russian military activity in the Baltic Sea has resulted in global calls for Denmark and other nations to inspect Moscow's oil tankers.

NATO and its eight Baltic Sea allies say they are stepping up efforts to deter 'any attempts at sabotage' in the wake of a series of incidents that have damaged key undersea power and telecommunications cables.

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

From election interference to sabotaging critical infrastructure, Russia’s hybrid warfare strategy is increasingly sowing chaos across Europe. As

NATO accuses Moscow of using tankers and other vessels ... and the "strengthening of NATO's presence in the Baltic Sea and responding to the threat posed by Russia's shadow fleet."