NATO Conducts Baltic Sea Naval Exercise with 40 Ships, 9000 Personnel Near Russia

NATO, led by the U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet, is conducting Baltic Operations 2025 (BALTOPS25), a large-scale naval exercise in the Baltic Sea involving 17 countries, 50 vessels, and around 9,000 personnel. The exercise serves both as a training operation and a strategic demonstration of NATO's maritime strength and unity, particularly aimed at countering Russia's influence in the region. Russia remains the only non-NATO country with a Baltic coastline, and tensions have increased with concerns over Russia’s 'ghost fleet'—aging vessels suspected of smuggling, intelligence gathering, and sabotaging undersea infrastructure. NATO has adopted tougher measures like stop-and-search tactics against these shadow ships, prompting Russia to announce plans to escort its ghost fleet with its navy. Despite these tensions, experts suggest Russia's Baltic fleet is relatively small and unlikely to directly confront NATO forces during BALTOPS, though the region remains strategically sensitive. The exercise underscores NATO’s resolve to protect member nations bordering the Baltic Sea amid escalating geopolitical pressure from Moscow.