Finnish Authorities Share Details About Russian Ship Suspected of Sabotage

Finnish investigators examining damage to a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables have identified an anchor drag mark on the seabed, reportedly linked to a Russia-affiliated vessel that has since been seized.

Why It Matters

Last week’s possible sabotage is the latest incident of undersea cables being disconnected, or deemed to have been deliberately sabotaged, in the Baltic Sea, where NATO has a strong footprint and which Russia considers a key strategic interest.

Unseen but crucial, undersea cables prop up internet services and communications, as well as many other aspects of daily life often taken for granted. According to NATO, around 99 percent of the world’s data runs through undersea cables, but they are vulnerable to attack in what is known as hybrid warfare.

What To Know

The findings have intensified fears of possible sabotage by Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of fuel tankers. These aging vessels, often with murky ownership, are believed to operate without Western-regulated insurance and were acquired to circumvent sanctions imposed during the war in Ukraine.

The Estlink-2 power cable, a critical link transmitting electricity from Finland to Estonia across the Baltic Sea, ruptured on December 25, causing minimal disruption to services. The incident followed damage to two data cables and the Nord Stream gas pipelines, both widely regarded as acts of sabotage.

Authorities reported that the seized vessel, the Eagle S, was escorted to an anchorage near the port of Porvoo on Saturday to aid the investigation. The ship is under scrutiny for alleged criminal offenses, including aggravated interference with telecommunications, aggravated vandalism and aggravated regulatory violations.

The Eagle S has been identified by Finnish customs and the European Commission as part of Russia’s shadow fleet of fuel tankers. The use of these aging, poorly insured vessels has sparked environmental concerns over the potential for accidents.

Following the cable rupture, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced last week that the alliance, which Finland joined in 2023, will increase patrols in the Baltic Sea region.

The Finnish Coast Guard reported Monday that a tanker bound for a Russian port experienced engine failure, causing it to drift before anchoring in the Gulf of Finland, south of the Hanko Peninsula. The Coast Guard said it was alerted to the incident on Sunday night.

The M/T Jazz, a Panama-registered tanker traveling from Sudan to Primorsk, Russia, was reportedly not carrying oil when it experienced engine trouble. Finnish authorities deployed a tugboat and a patrol ship to secure the vessel and mitigate any potential environmental risks.

What People Are Saying

Sami Paila, the chief investigator for Finnish police, said Sunday that the anchor drag mark stretched for “dozens of kilometers (miles)…if not almost 100 kilometers (62 miles).”

While speaking to the Finnish TV broadcaster Yle, Paila said: “Our current understanding is that the drag mark in question is that of the anchor of the (seized) Eagle S vessel. We have been able to clarify this matter through underwater research.”

Paila added that officials have “a preliminary understanding of what happened at sea, how the anchor mark was created there” and stressed that the “question of intent is a completely essential issue to be clarified in the preliminary investigation.”

What’s Next

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noted Monday that incidents of sabotage across Europe have risen since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In an interview with Germany’s Welt newspaper, Kallas said the recent “sabotage attempts in the Baltic Sea are not isolated incidents,” describing them as “part of a deliberate and coordinated effort to target our digital and energy infrastructure.”

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.