NATO will deploy more maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea following a series of deadly attacks on shipping that have heightened security concerns near the alliance’s eastern flank.
The announcement came on Tuesday after the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s principal decision-making body, discussed Black Sea security at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.
Alongside the additional surveillance capabilities, NATO members have sent or plan to send intelligence personnel and teams to conduct forensic analysis of explosives, US Army Colonel Martin L O’Donnell, a NATO military spokesperson, said.
The alliance has not attributed the latest attacks to any country. Military analysts have said Russia was almost certainly responsible, but Moscow has not acknowledged carrying them out.
Tanker strikes raise alarm near NATO territory
Last week, seven sailors were reported missing after drones struck two chemical tankers near Romania’s Black Sea coast, setting the vessels ablaze and intensifying concerns over a vital shipping corridor used by Ukraine.
At least five other cargo vessels were hit near the coasts of Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria over the preceding 10 days. At least 23 sailors were reported missing or dead in the incidents.
The attacks have underscored the risks facing commercial shipping in waters bordering NATO members, as Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to affect security across the wider Black Sea region.
NATO vows to strengthen its eastern flank
NATO has already reinforced its eastern flank with additional counter-drone capabilities, the alliance’s principal spokesperson, Allison Hart, said in a post on X.
“We will continue to stand united and ensure that we are ready and able to address any threat and to keep our one billion people safe,” Hart said.
The latest measures will expand NATO’s ability to monitor activity in the Black Sea and respond to potential threats, as the alliance seeks to protect its members and maintain security around a strategically important maritime route.
