By Anne Kauranen, Essi Lehto and Andreas Rinke HELSINKI (Reuters) -NATO countries will deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and naval drones in the Baltic Sea to help protect critical infrastructure and reserve the right to take action against ships suspected of posing a security threat,

NATO is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region after a string of incidents that have heightened concerns about possible Russian activities, the alliance’s leader said.

The strategy follows a series of suspected sabotage attacks on telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea in recent months carried out by a fleet of tankers and vessels linked to Russia.

The incidents contributed to mounting European fears of sabotage, as NATO officials accuse Russia of a growing “destabilization campaign” over their military support for Ukraine and sanctions against Moscow.

The operation, dubbed "Baltic Sentry," will dispatch national contributions as well as joint assets to the strategically located body of water.

NATO has launched a mission to safeguard critical underwater infrastructure on the Baltic Sea floor. The operation follows previous incidents of interruptions to submarine cables, most likely planned by Russia.