Finland seizes ship sailing from Russia after suspected cable sabotage

In response to concerns about Russian sabotage in the Gulf of Finland, Finnish authorities have seize a vessel suspected of intentionally severing submarine communications cables.

At the time of the incident, according to Finnish Border Guard officials speaking at a press conference in Helsinki on Wednesday, the seized cargo ship Fitburg was traveling from the Russian port of St. Petersburg to Israel.

According to the police and border guard, the Fitburg was dragging its anchor into Finnish territorial waters.

The Helsinki police launched an investigation into potential criminal damage and interference with communications that might have been worse.

According to investigators, the Fitburg’s 14 crew members came from Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan, and were all being detained by Finnish police. St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ flag was used to sail the ship.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in a statement that “Finland is prepared for security challenges of all kinds, and we respond to them as needed.”

Estonia, Finland, and Russia border the Gulf of Finland, which borders the Baltic Sea. In recent years, the area has experienced a number of comparable events.

The undersea cable, which is owned by Elisa, is regarded as Finland’s most important underwater infrastructure.

The cable damage has “not in any way affected Elisa’s services,” the company claimed, noting that services have been rerouted as a result. Elisa had earlier disclosed a problem with its cable to Finnish authorities after it was discovered.

In recent years, NATO has increased its presence in the Baltics using frigates, aircraft, and naval drones.

An official from the military alliance stated that “we are still in contact with the Finnish authorities through the NATO shipping center at our Allied Maritime Command in Northwood, UK,” adding that “we are still in contact with them.”

A deliberate deed

A second telecoms cable that connects Estonia to Finland also went out of service on Wednesday, according to Estonia’s Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs. The incident’s relationship is not known.

Concerned about the damage that has been reported. Estonian President Alar Karis stated on X: “I hope it wasn’t a deliberate act, but the investigation will clarify.”

In recent years, the Baltic Sea’s energy and communication infrastructure, including cables and pipelines under water, has suffered damage.

Numerous security experts and political figures have viewed cable sabotage as a “hybrid war” being waged by Russia against NATO allies since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

After dragging its anchor on the seabed for 90 kilometers (56 miles), the Eagle S, an oil tanker owned by the Cook Islands, cut five cables in the Gulf of Finland on Christmas Day, 2024.

The District Court in Helsinki decided in October that it had no authority to hear a case involving the ship’s three senior officers. It stated that it was up to the defendants’ home countries, Georgia and India, to bring the vessel to trial.