NORTHERN BALTIC SEA – After some days of coordinated operations, Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) has successfully wrapped up a focused Historical Ordnance Disposal Operation (HODOPS) effort in the Bay of Riga.
While continuing its Baltic Sentry mission, the multinational group concentrated on training procedures like detecting, classifying identifying, and disposing of historic sea mines and other unexploded ordnance (UXO) dating back to the First and Second World War.
Read more…
Source: NATO HQ Allied Maritime Command
Sign up for Counter-IED Report Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Latvia: Open Spirit 2026 delivers real world impact in the Baltic Sea
May 14, 2026
NATO ships took part in an international mine countermeasures exercise off the coast of Latvia between 1 and 13 May 2026. Open Spirit 26 brought together Allied and Partner navies, enhanced regional security, strengthened interoperability, and reduced the threat posed by historical naval mines in the region. This year’s exercise was held in close coordination with ...
- Italy sends Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream pipeline blast to Germany
November 27, 2025
A Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in 2022 arrived in Germany on Thursday after Italy’s top court approved his handover last week, German prosecutors accuse him of belonging to a group of people who planted devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic. ...
- Polish court blocks extradition and frees Ukrainian suspected in Nord Stream pipeline blasts
October 17, 2025
A Polish court on Friday blocked the extradition to Germany of a Ukrainian man suspected of involvement in the 2022 attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines and ordered his release, a ruling that was welcomed by Poland’s prime minister. Volodymyr Zhuravlov, 46, was arrested near Warsaw Sept. 30 on a German warrant. German prosecutors have ...
- Italy: Suspect Is Arrested in Sabotage of Pipelines Between Russia and Germany
August 21, 2025
Italian police have arrested a Ukrainian national who German investigators believe coordinated the undersea bombing in 2022 of two gas pipelines that directly linked Russia to Germany, the German authorities said on Thursday. It was the first arrest in the act of sabotage that occurred as the war in Ukraine raged, a technically sophisticated attack that ...
- U.S. Navy EOD Removes Ordnance from WWII Shipwreck in Latvia
June 19, 2025
LIEPAJA, Latvia – U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8 conducted underwater clearance operations in the port of Liepaja as part of the multinational maritime exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 25. Their mission was to locate, move, and safely dispose of dangerous historical ordnance from the sunken WWII-era ...
- NATO Conducts Historical Ordnance Disposal in the Baltic Sea
April 17, 2025
NORTHERN BALTIC SEA – After some days of coordinated operations, Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) has successfully wrapped up a focused Historical Ordnance Disposal Operation (HODOPS) effort in the Bay of Riga. While continuing its Baltic Sentry mission, the multinational group concentrated on training procedures like detecting, classifying identifying, and disposing of historic sea ...
- Italy prosecutors open terrorism probe into oil tanker blasts
February 20, 2025
Italian authorities opened a terrorism investigation into explosions last weekend that damaged an oil tanker off northern Italy, in the latest of four such incidents in the Mediterranean and Baltic seas in the past month, the chief prosecutor of the city of Genoa said on Thursday. Two explosions blew a hole below the waterline of the ...
- Nord Stream Pipeline Attack In 2022 Led To Biggest Single Human-Caused Methane Leak Ever
January 16, 2025
The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022 not only heightened geopolitical tensions but also unleashed an unprecedented environmental event, releasing the largest recorded amount of methane from a single human-caused incident – 465,000 metric tons – into the atmosphere and surrounding waters, according to three new studies. The Nord Stream pipelines, which transport ...
- The Estonian Navy, Together with Allies, Hunts for Historical Explosives in Estonian Waters
November 5, 2024
On October 4th, the Estonian Navy, together with NATO’s Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1), began a ten-day mine clearance operation in Estonian waters. During this operation, the Estonian Navy will search for, identify, and neutralize historical explosives in Pärnu Bay and the southern part of Väinameri. “Mine clearance operations in Estonian waters provide a ...
- Navy EOD flexes expeditionary capabilities alongside NATO Allies at BALTOPS 2024
June 14, 2024
PUTLOS, Germany – Elements of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Units (EODMU) 2, 8, and 12 are operating with NATO allies and partners in one of the largest Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) exercises to date, June 7-20, 2024. This collaborative exercise aims to hone the skills necessary to operate seamlessly in a joint maritime environment and provides a ...
- Denmark drops investigation into Nord Stream pipeline blasts
February 26, 2024
Denmark has dropped its investigation into the 2022 explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian gas to Germany, becoming the second country to do so after Sweden closed a separate inquiry. The multibillion-dollar Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines transporting gas under the Baltic Sea were ruptured by a series of blasts in the Swedish ...
- Sweden Closes Investigation of Pipeline Blasts, but Stays Silent on Cause
February 7, 2024
After investigators delved into a series of undersea explosions that blew apart the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines linking Russia to Western Europe in fall 2022, intelligence agencies came to a general agreement: The evidence pointed toward pro-Ukraine forces, even if the question of who might have been directing them remained a mystery. In Sweden, in ...
- Ukraine’s sea drones, part of Ukraine’s fightback in the Black Sea
July 30, 2023
At a secret makeshift military base a nondescript van and pickup truck tow two gray objects covered by tarpaulin mounted on trailers. In the driving rain, they resemble something more akin to a Boston Whaler, rather than hiding one of Ukraine’s most closely guarded secrets. Perched on the banks of a secret lake, CNN was given ...
- U.S.-led NATO explosive ordnance disposal task unit demonstrates interoperability, readiness in exercise BALTOPS 23
June 12, 2023
Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) divers and technicians from Belgium, Denmark, France, Norway and the United States, assigned to NATO Task Unit 30, are participating in exercise Baltic Operations 2023 (BALTOPS 23) in Germany, Poland, and in the Baltic Sea, from June 5-16. Task Unit 30, led by Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 8, based in Rota, ...
- Royal Navy divers help clear Baltic Sea of unexploded ordnance during Exercise Open Spirit
May 22, 2023
Royal Navy divers are supporting Nato security efforts to recover unexploded mines and torpedoes in the Baltic Sea during Exercise Open Spirit. Specialists from the UK are taking part in a multinational explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) exercise hosted by Latvia, operating closely alongside experts from Estonia, Lithuania, Germany, Belgium, Canada, and the US. Read more… Source: Forces Net
- Nord Stream Attack: Senator Raises Alarms About Alleged U.S. Involvement
February 9, 2023
A U.S. senator is concerned that if allegations about the United States sabotaging Russian natural gas pipelines are true, he and his colleagues weren’t aware of the plan. The U.S. continues to deny that it had any involvement in the damage to Russia’s Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in September. Read more… Source: Newsweek
- Sweden: Traces of explosives found at site of Russian pipeline leaks
November 18, 2022
Sweden’s prosecutor’s office said Friday that an investigation into gas leaks from two underwater pipelines connecting Russia to Germany found traces of explosives, confirming it is a case of “serious sabotage.” Swedish and Danish investigators are probing a flurry of detonations on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on Sept. 26 that sent gas spewing ...
- Russia says UK navy blew up Nord Stream, London denies involvement
October 30, 2022
Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday (29 October) that British navy personnel blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month, a claim that London said was false and designed to distract from Russian military failures in Ukraine. Russia did not give evidence for its claim that a leading NATO member had sabotaged critical Russian infrastructure ...
- ‘Powerful explosions’ behind two Nord Stream gas pipeline leaks in Baltic Sea
October 18, 2022
A preliminary investigation of damage on the two Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Danish part of the Baltic Sea shows the leaks were caused by “powerful explosions”, Copenhagen Police has said. The force added officers investigated the “crime scenes” with assistance from Denmark’s armed forces and in collaboration with the Danish security and intelligence agency. The ...
- Norway’s practice of blowing up WWII sea mines is deadly for marine mammals
October 4, 2022
In the Second World War, narrow sea areas such as fjords and straits suffered the most from mine warfare. Many Norwegian fjords were mined in the war and these old mines still cause danger for shipping and other human activities at sea. In addition to disposing naval mines from the Norwegian maritime area, the Norwegian ...
- BALTOPS 22: A Perfect Opportunity For Research And Testing New Technology
June 12, 2022
BALTIC SEA — A significant focus of BALTOPS every year is the demonstration of NATO mine hunting capabilities, and this year the U.S. Navy continues to use the exercise as an opportunity to test emerging technology. In support of BALTOPS, U.S. Navy Sixth Fleet partnered with U.S. Navy research and warfare centers to bring the latest ...
- Italy Is Ready To Participate In Demining Of Ukrainian Ports
June 2, 2022
Italy, if necessary, is ready to take part in mine clearance operations at Ukrainian ports in order to ensure the exit of ships with grain from them, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Wednesday. “We are putting pressure on the creation of sea corridors for the transportation of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports, especially ...
