Four suspects identified in Finland undersea cable damage investigation — criminal case referred to prosecutors for consideration of charges

Finland's National Bureau of Investigation has concluded its criminal investigation into the damage to two undersea telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland on December 31st last year, identifying four suspects and referring the case to prosecutors for a decision on charges, according to a police statement. Investigators say the cargo ship Fitburg dragged its anchor across the seabed for several kilometers and severed cables owned by Finnish operators Elisa and Arelion Finland while sailing from St. Petersburg to the Israeli port of Haifa.

The 132-meter Fitburg, flagged in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was seized on New Year's Eve and held until mid-January while a joint Finnish and Estonian investigation team examined the vessel, the damage site, and devices belonging to crew members. The ship's 14 crew came from Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.

Damage to the cables occurred in Estonia's exclusive economic zone, with Finland investigating the case as aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage, and aggravated interference with telecommunications. Finnish customs separately determined that the ship's steel cargo was subject to sanctions against Russia, though no criminal case was opened over it because the goods only entered Finnish waters after authorities ordered the vessel to move.

Elisa said at the time that rerouting kept its services running, consistent with earlier Baltic cuts that Cloudflare found had little observable effect on connectivity thanks to dense route redundancy in the region.

This marks the second time in a year that the Fins have referred a case to prosecutors, having previously charged three officers of the Eagle S oil tanker last August with aggravated sabotage and aggravated interference with telecommunications, alleging the Cook Islands-registered tanker dragged its anchor about 56 miles along the seabed and damaged five cables. Repairs cost two Finnish companies roughly $70 million. The Eagle S is widely described as part of Russia's "shadow fleet" of tankers operating under foreign flags to evade sanctions.

Finland responded to the Fitburg incident by establishing a dedicated Baltic maritime surveillance center, announced in January. NATO's Baltic Sentry operation, launched a year earlier in January 2025, patrols the region with frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, and a fleet of more than 20 uncrewed surface vessels, supplemented by software that flags suspicious ship movements.

None of that stops an anchor drag, however, which requires only a vessel willing to lower its anchor over a cable route. Finland has recorded at least seven major incidents involving ships and subsea infrastructure since 2023.

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.