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 detained a Russian-linked cargo ship suspected of damaging an undersea data line in the increasingly tense Baltic Sea. Border guards directed the vessel, Fitburg, into Finnish waters on Wednesday while investigators examined harm to a telecom cable connecting Helsinki and Estonia.
Helsinki Police Chief Jari Liukku said officers are probing potential “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, according to Reuters.
Flying under the flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Fitburg was en route from St. Petersburg to Israel. A helicopter crew at the scene reported that the ship had been dragging its anchor near the cable, which is operated by Finnish telecom company Elisa, the Guardian reports.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO members have increased surveillance and bolstered infrastructure around the Baltic following multiple unexplained disruptions to power cables, pipelines, and communication lines. An alliance official told Reuters that NATO is coordinating with Finnish authorities through its shipping center in the UK. With eight NATO countries bordering the Baltic—alongside Russian coastline—officials have highlighted hybrid operations targeting critical infrastructure as a growing security concern.
Estonia also reported an outage on a second undersea cable to Finland, operated by Sweden’s Arelion, though it remains unclear whether the two incidents are connected. Estonian President Alar Karis expressed concern over the damage on X but said he hoped it was unintentional. The European Commission said it is closely monitoring the situation.
This is not the first time Finnish authorities have dealt with Russian-linked ships in the Baltic. In 2024, police boarded the tanker Eagle S over suspected cable damage while it was dragging its anchor, though a Finnish court later dismissed criminal charges due to insufficient evidence of intent.
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