Poland intervenes upon detection of Russian ‘ghost fleet’ ship in the Baltic Sea

The Polish military intervened on Wednesday after a ship from the Kremlin’s "ghost fleet" was spotted performing suspicious maneuvers near a high-voltage cable connecting Poland with Sweden, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

In a post on X, Tusk stated, "Following an effective intervention by our military, the vessel sailed towards one of the Russian ports. The ORP Heweliusz is sailing towards the site of the incident."

Also, in subsequent statements to the press, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said that a patrol driven the vessel away and that the Polish Navy's ORP Heweliusz was on its way to the scene.

"This shows how dangerous the times we live in are, how serious the situation in the Baltic Sea is," the defense minister said during a news conference.

"Ever since Sweden and Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Baltic Sea has become a key maritime area, where the largest number of incidents occur, most commonly related to cable breaks ... and sabotage," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

The Polish defense minister assured there will be a "firm response" from Poland and NATO in case of any attacks on Baltic Sea infrastructure.

For his part, Vice Admiral Krzysztof Jaworski, commander of the Polish Maritime Component, told Reuters that the tanker in question was named Sun and was sailing under the Antigua flag.

For the time being, the Russian embassy in Warsaw has declined to give statements.