Finnish police have detained the Russian crew of an oil tanker suspected of cutting telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea.
Finnish authorities on Wednesday seized the Fitburg, a cargo ship flying the flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The flight was en route from St. Petersburg to Haifa, Israel.
The ship’s crew was made up of Russian, Georgian, Kazakhstani and Azerbaijani sailors, according to police, who are investigating the case for aggravated criminal damage and suspected sabotage.
The Fitburg was detained while anchored in Finnish waters and is suspected of being “responsible for damage to the vessel.” [a] Cable running between Helsinki and Tallinn on the Gulf of Finland”.
The incident occurred in the Baltic Sea, where attacks suspected of damaging undersea cables have increased significantly since the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine.
Western officials suspect the attacks are part of Putin’s hybrid war campaign aimed at punishing Western military support for Kiev.
Finnish telecom operator and cable owner Elisa said the damage “did not affect the functionality of the equipment”. [its] any kind of service”.
The company said it immediately notified Finnish authorities after discovering a fault in the cable early Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Finnish police said: “At this stage, police are investigating the incident for serious criminal damage, attempted serious criminal damage and serious telecommunications interference.”
Finnish officials announced the seizure of the tanker at a news conference in Helsinki on Wednesday – Reuters
Estonia’s Justice Ministry said a second telecommunications cable connecting the country to Finland temporarily failed on Wednesday, but it has not yet confirmed that the cable was linked to the Elisa incident.
Estonian President Aral Karis said on social media site
“Finland is ready to face various security challenges and we will respond as needed,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb said.
The case being investigated is reminiscent of an incident in December 2024, when Finnish authorities boarded the Eagle S, a tanker with links to Russia. They suspect its anchor damaged five cables in the Baltic Sea.
Finland’s attempt to prosecute Eagle S crew failed. A Finnish court ruled that prosecutors could not prove that the crew intentionally damaged the cable. The fact that the ship was intercepted in international waters, not Finnish waters, triggered a jurisdictional dispute.
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