Destroyed power cable in the Baltic Sea
Finland bans sailors from the “Eagle S” from leaving the country
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
On Christmas Day, an important power cable between Finland and Estonia is damaged. The culprit may be the oil tanker “Eagle S” coming from Russia. The Finnish authorities are investigating the sailors on suspicion of sabotage.
Finnish police have opened an investigation against seven sailors from the oil tanker “Eagle S” after the alleged sabotage of an underwater cable in the Baltic Sea. The investigators explained that those affected were listed as suspects and were banned from leaving the country.
Damage was discovered on the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia on Christmas Day. The Finnish authorities suspect that the anchor of the “Eagle S” damaged the cable running at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. The oil tanker started from St. Petersburg, Russia. Finland stopped him, escorted him into Finnish waters and confiscated him. On Monday, investigators said they discovered a drag mark on the seabed that was dozens of kilometers long.
The Finnish authorities are investigating the case on suspicion of sabotage. The crew of the “Eagle S” has now been questioned, said Attorney General Elina Katajamäki. The ban on leaving the country is intended to ensure that the suspects remain within reach of the investigators and that the investigation is not hindered. Investigations against other people could be started.
Hybrid warfare
According to the Finnish customs authorities, the ship belongs to the so-called Russian shadow fleet, which Russia uses to circumvent the Western oil embargo that was imposed because of the attack on Ukraine. For the shadow fleet, Russia uses foreign-flagged tankers to export crude oil and oil products despite international sanctions.
Since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began in February 2022, several components of the telecommunications infrastructure in the Baltic Sea have already been damaged. Experts assume that this is due to hybrid attacks by Russia against the West. Hybrid attacks refer to covert attacks by state or non-state actors that often cannot be solved.
