HELSINKI, January 17 - RIA Novosti. The Dutch warship HNLMS Rotterdam entered the Baltic Sea to monitor the situation in the region, the Estonian broadcasting portal ERR reported on Monday, citing a message from the NATO press service.
"The ship is located in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Sweden to monitor the situation in the region. We are on the spot to demonstrate our presence and solidarity with the alliance as a whole," the message reads.
According to the alliance, we are talking about a planned action. HNLMS Rotterdam is designed for helicopter operations.
In turn, Magnus Kristiansson, a researcher at the Swedish College of National Defense, believes that the arrival of the ship is connected with the current security situation in Europe against the background of Russia's military activity on the borders of Ukraine.
"NATO is adapting to Russia's aggressive and unpredictable actions and intensifying cooperation with Sweden and Finland in the Baltic Sea," ERR quotes Kristiansson.
The publication notes that last week three amphibious ships of the Russian Northern Fleet entered the Baltic Sea. In this regard, Sweden has increased its combat readiness on the island of Gotland.
Russia has repeatedly rejected accusations of "aggressive actions" by the West and Ukraine, stating that it does not threaten anyone and is not going to attack anyone, and statements about "Russian aggression" are used as an excuse to deploy more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously noted that Western statements about "Russian aggression" and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself from it are both ridiculous and dangerous.
At the same time, Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged intensification of "aggressive actions" by Russia near the borders of Ukraine. The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia moves troops within its territory and at its discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and no one should care.
