Finland Seizes Ship, Crew After Undersea Cable Damage

Investigators suspect sabotage of Helsinki-Estonia undersea telecom link
Posted Dec 31, 2025 3:21 PM CST
After Baltic Cable Is Damaged, Finland Holds Ship From Russia
An Estonian naval ship sails in the Baltic Sea on Jan. 9 as part of stepped-up NATO patrols in the region following suspected sabotage of undersea cables.   (AP Photo/Hendrik Osula)

Finnish authorities have hauled in a Russian-linked cargo ship they suspect of ripping through an undersea data line in the increasingly tense Baltic Sea. Border guards ordered the Fitburg into Finnish waters on Wednesday as investigators looked into damage to a telecom cable connecting Helsinki and Estonia. Helsinki Police Chief Jari Liukku said officers are investigating possible "aggravated disruption of telecommunications" and "aggravated sabotage and attempted aggravated sabotage." All 14 crew members—from Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan—are being held for questioning, Reuters reports.

The ship, sailing under the flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, had been traveling from St. Petersburg to Israel. A helicopter crew dispatched to the site reported that the ship was dragging its anchor, the Guardian reports, near the cable owned by Finnish operator Elisa. NATO members are ringing the Baltic with extra surveillance and hardware after a run of unexplained damage to power cables, pipelines, and communications lines since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. An alliance official said NATO is in contact with Finnish authorities through its shipping center in the UK, per Reuters. Eight NATO countries border the Baltic, which also touches Russian shores, and alliance commanders have warned that so-called hybrid operations against critical infrastructure are now a major security concern.

Estonia reported that a second undersea cable to Finland, operated by Sweden's Arelion, also suffered an outage on Wednesday, though it's unclear whether the two lines run parallel or were hit in the same incident. Estonian President Alar Karis wrote on X that he was worried about the damage but hoped it was not intentional. The European Commission said it is closely tracking developments. A year ago, Finnish police boarded the Russian-linked tanker Eagle S when it was suspected of damaging Baltic cables while dragging its anchor. A Finnish court later threw out criminal charges, citing lack of proof of intent.

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