With its powerful camera, the French Navy surveillance plane scouring the Baltic Sea zoomed in on a cargo ship plowing the waters below — closer, closer and closer still until the camera operator could make out details on the vessel's front deck and smoke pouring from its chimney.

NATO is deploying eyes in the sky and on the Baltic Sea to protect cables and pipelines that stitch together the nine countries with Baltic shores.

Cables deep under the Baltic Sea keep getting damaged - here is what Nato is doing to protect them - Nato is deploying eyes in the sky and on the Baltic Sea to protect cables and pipelines

Over the past 15 months, 11 undersea cables in the Baltic Sea have been damaged, creating serious concerns for the security of Europe’s communication and energy networks. These cables are essential for the smooth operation of countries bordering the Baltic,