Finland arrests ship crew members in cable damage case
Illustrative photo: Finnish police arrested several crew members of the ship Fitburg (Getty Images)
The Finnish police have arrested two crew members of the ship Fitburg in connection with the damaged cable in the Gulf of Finland. In addition, two individuals have been banned from traveling abroad, Yle reports.
The police are not commenting on the nationality of the arrested individuals. Interrogations of the ship’s crew began on the evening of Wednesday, December 31.
In addition, Finnish authorities have also launched an underwater investigation in the area where the cable was damaged.
"Investigative measures have been carried out on the ship, and the crew has been questioned. We are now assessing the situation and the crew’s role," said Risto Lohi, a detective at Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation.
He emphasized that the ship’s crew is cooperating, which is helping to clarify the situation.
Lohi added that the current incident has both similarities and differences compared to previous cases of damage to underwater infrastructure in the Gulf of Finland.
Damage to cables in the Gulf of Finland
On Wednesday, December 31, telecommunications company Elisa reported damage to the communication cable connection between Finland and Estonia in the Gulf of Finland. The incident raised suspicion of a ship present in the area.
The detained cargo ship Fitburg was traveling from the Russian port of Saint Petersburg to Israel at the time of the incident. Investigators determined that the ship’s 14 crew members are from Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan, and they were taken into custody by law enforcement.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb responded to the incident. According to him, Finnish authorities have conducted an inspection of the ship suspected of damaging the underwater cables.
A similar incident involving damage to the communication cables between Finland and Estonia occurred a year ago. Specifically, on December 25, 2024, Finland reported damage to an underwater power cable connecting to Estonia in the Gulf of Finland.
