Finland seizes Russian cargo ship over alleged undersea cable breach
The vessel had departed from St Petersburg in Russia and was headed to Haifa in Israel. (Photo: X/@FaytuksNetwork)Finnish authorities boarded and seized a cargo vessel called Fitburg on Wednesday, after it was suspected of having damaged underwater cables in the Baltic Sea, Finnish police told a press conference.
Finland is investigating damage to undersea telecom cables in the Gulf of Finland. Authorities stopped and inspected a suspected vessel after its anchor chain was seen dragging, and police say 14 crew members have been detained. The affected lines include Finland–Estonia… pic.twitter.com/WsJxOmsWsH
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Authorities stopped and inspected a suspected vessel after its anchor chain was seen dragging, and 14 crew members, all Russian nationals, have been detained.
The vessel sailed under the flag of St Vincent and Grenadines, a police spokesperson said. The vessel had departed from St Petersburg in Russia and was headed to Haifa in Israel, according to MarineTraffic data.
Russian vessel damages undersea cable
Its anchor was lowered when it was discovered in Finland’s exclusive economic zone. Helsinki police have opened an investigation into potential aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage and aggravated interference with telecommunications.
The cable belongs to telecommunications service provider Elisa and is considered to be critical underwater infrastructure. The damage occurred in Estonia’s exclusive economic zone, police said.
“Finland is prepared for security challenges of various kinds, and we respond to them as necessary,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrote on X.
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Estonian authorities are cooperating with the Finns to decide whether they should initiate a separate criminal case or move forward in a joint prosecution.