Offshore infrastructure to help address hybrid threats

New offshore infrastructure increasingly anticipates the risk of hybrid threats as reported in an article by Euractiv^[1] on offshore wind farms in Poland.

The article reports that a new wind farm that is being built off the Polish coast in the Baltic Sea will not only produce electricity, but also play a crucial role when it comes to anticipating and deterring potential hybrid attacks. According to the article, “The 120-metre towers are set to become sentinels, tirelessly scanning the brackish waters and leaden skies for hostile activity”. Baltic Power, the wind farm operator, will equip the new wind turbine towers with radars and sensors according to instructions from Poland’s defence ministry.

Also in Belgium, wind farm developers have to commit to be ready to share data with the military and also host military hardware, if needed. Wind turbines have a long history of monitoring their surroundings, originally for the purpose of protecting birds. But with increasing geopolitical tensions, this capacity can now also be used for other purposes.

In the meantime, investigations into past hybrid attacks are advancing. According to media reports, for example by the Guardian^[2], Finnish authorities have filed charges against the captain as well as the first and second officers of Eagle2, an oil tanker that is supposedly part of the Russian shadow fleet and which is suspected of having on purpose damaged undersea cables between Finland and Estonia with its anchor in December 2024.

The ship registered in the Cook Islands was carrying oil from the Russian port of Ust-Luga across the Gulf of Finland when it dragged its anchor along the seabed for about 90 km, creating damage to high-capacity electricity transmission and telecommunications cables. After a detention period of a few months, the vessel has in the meantime been allowed to leave Finland, but the three suspects now indicted have to appear for hearings in front of a Helsinki district court. Finland’s deputy prosecutor general has filed charges of aggravated sabotage and interference with communications. 

[1] See Euractiv: Europe’s wind farm army, 11 August 2025, https://www.euractiv.com/section/defence/news/europes-wind-farm-army/

[2] See The Guardian: Finland charges tanker crew members with sabotage of undersea cables, 11 August 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/11/finland-accuses-tanker-crew-sabotage-undersea-cables-anchor