As they plied the gray, icy waters of the Baltic Sea west of Russia on Thursday, the crew of the Estonian minehunter EML Sakala kept a careful eye on any vessels slowing down suspiciously or suddenly changing course.

General Mark Rutte says the military alliance will step up patrols in the Baltic Sea area as Finnish investigators work to establish whether a ship linked to Russia sabotaged undersea cables there this week.

As they plied the gray, icy waters of the Baltic Sea west of Russia on Thursday, the crew of the Estonian minehunter EML Sakala kept a careful eye on any vessels slowing down suspiciously or suddenly changing course.

The Eagle S, thought to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” was detained in December following suspected sabotage.

On Tuesday, January 7, specialists discovered the anchor of the tanker Eagle S at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland. The vessel likely "lost" it during the breakage of several underwater cables, Yle reports.

Finnish authorities have recovered the anchor of the tanker Eagle S, which is suspected of damaging cables in the Baltic Sea. Investigators will inspect the anchor starting on Tuesday. Finnish radio Yle reported that the anchor of the tanker Eagle S was located at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland and brought to the surface.