Finnish police are investigating an incident involving damage to a telecommunications cable connecting Helsinki and Tallinn. According to the investigation, the 132-meter cargo ship Fitburg, en route from St. Petersburg to Haifa, Israel, dragged its anchor along the seabed for several tens of kilometers before it severed the communication line. This was reported by Euractiv, writes UNN.
Details
The vessel was detained by Finnish authorities on December 31 in the Gulf of Finland. Police initiated criminal proceedings on charges of aggravated property damage and interference with telecommunications. Currently, a court in Helsinki has arrested one crew member, an Azerbaijani citizen, for one week. Also, one Russian citizen and two other individuals have been banned from leaving the country.
In total, the ship's crew consists of 14 people, including citizens of Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.
Context of hybrid threat
The cable belongs to the Finnish telecommunications group Elisa and is located in Estonia's exclusive economic zone. Given a number of similar accidents involving energy and communication infrastructure in the Baltic Sea in recent years, European experts and politicians view the incident as part of a "hybrid war" by Russia.
Chief investigator Kimmo Huhta-aho confirmed that the nature of the damage indicates a prolonged impact of the anchor chain on the seabed before direct contact with the cable.