The United Kingdom is leading a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and NATO effort to track Russian “Shadow Fleet” vessels in Northern European waters, in real time, to protect critical undersea infrastructure,

The operation, dubbed Nordic Warden, uses sensor data do determine when shady vessels in the Baltic Sea approach areas of interest.

The Joint Expeditionary Force, made up of ten nations, activated the UK-led Nordic Warden operation following reported damage to the Estlink2 undersea cable

The Finnish authorities said the tanker might be part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which emerged as a way to circumvent Western-imposed price caps on Russian oil transported by sea. The caps were introduced several months after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Finland says a ship affiliated with Russia's "shadow fleet" is linked to a 60-mile-long anchor drag mark on the seafloor. A power cable in the Baltic Sea was severed last week.

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) has initiated a sophisticated command system designed to surveil underwater infrastructure threats and keep tabs on Russia's covert maritime assets. This move comes in the wake of reported disruptions to a critical subsea cable in the Baltic Sea region.