STORY: Hours after two communication cables were severed in the Baltic Sea, one of northern Europe’s largest ever naval exercises got underway. 30 NATO vessels and 4,000 military staff took to the water for the 12-day 'Freezing Winds' drill.

On Nov. 18, hours after two communication cables were severed in the Baltic Sea, 30 NATO vessels and 4,000 military staff took to the same body of water for one of northern Europe's largest naval exercises.

Amid escalating geopolitical tensions, undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were severed, raising questions about sabotage during a massive NATO military exercise.

The Baltic Sea, a hub for maritime trade and critical infrastructure, has become a growing point of concern. Recent incidents, such as damaged undersea cables and rising tensions, have brought its security into focus.

In the most recent case, two undersea fibre-optic communications cables located more than 100 nautical miles (about 200 km) apart in the Baltic Sea bottom were severed subsequently on Nov. 17 and 18, raising suspicions of sabotage by bad actors.