Finland seizes ship and Russian crew suspected of cutting undersea cable
Helsinki police have opened an investigation into potential aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage and aggravated interference with telecommunications
Finnish authorities have seized a Russian ship and all 14 crew members suspected of cutting an undersea cable but dragging its anchor.
Listen to this article
Police in Helsinki have opened an investigation into the vessel and its crew, accusing them of aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage and aggravated interference with telecommunications.
This marks just the latest in a series of similar incidents throughout the Baltic Sea in recent years.
The cable is owned by telecommunications service provider Elisa and is considered to be critical underwater infrastructure.
Read more: Russian submarine followed spy ship into British waters to map critical undersea infrastructure
Read more: Multi-million pound hi-tech naval force to defend undersea cables unveiled
Sky News has named the vessel as the Fitburg which had departed from Russia and was en-route to Israel.
Members of the crew are believed to be from Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
A police statement said a helicopter was sent to scout the ship before authorities took “control of the vessel as part of a joint operation".
"At this stage, the police are investigating the incident as aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage, and aggravated interference with telecommunications," the police added.
"Finland is prepared for security challenges of various kinds, and we respond to them as necessary," Finnish President Alexander Stubb said.
Police Chief Ilkka Koskimäki refused to be drawn on whether the damage was orchestrated by the Russian state.
Estonia’s government said a second undersea cable also suffered an outage on Wednesday.
Writing exclusively for LBC Opinion, strategist Lynette Nusbacher said the UK can no longer assume safety in the North Atlantic, arguing that Moscow is escalating its ability to disrupt internet infrastructure and threaten European states that support Ukraine.
“After years of stalemate, we don’t quake in our boots at the thought that Russia will punish us for supporting Ukraine’s independence,” she wrote. “Looking under the surface of the sea, though, there’s significant threat.”
Nusbacher said a Russian Navy vessel is currently operating off the British coast, equipped with “mini-subs and robot submarines that can find, listen to, and destroy undersea cables”. She warned that Moscow does not even require advanced technology to cause disruption, noting that “fake merchant vessels” can sever cables using their anchors.
The UK must assume Russia will continue developing capabilities that threaten both physical and digital security, she argued, adding that President Vladimir Putin is acutely aware of his submarine fleet’s ability to launch “conventional or nuclear payloads at British, French and German bases”.