Finland has detained a Russian ship on suspicion of sabotage of Baltic cables.

According to ТСН: The Finnish Border Guard has detained a vessel that departed from the port of Saint Petersburg, Russia, on suspicion of damaging underwater cables in the Baltic Sea.

The ship named Fitburg, with 14 people on board, was found in the Gulf of Finland with its anchor down. According to MarineTraffic data, it left Saint Petersburg port on December 30 and was heading to Israel.

Fitburg is suspected of damaging a cable belonging to the telecommunications company Elisa, which connects Helsinki and Tallinn. The damage occurred within Estonia's exclusive economic zone.

The Estonian Ministry of Justice and Digital Communications reported disruptions affecting four underwater cables connecting the country with Sweden and Finland. In several cases, the malfunctions could have been caused by recent storms, but the reasons for the breakage of two cables are currently under investigation.

Finnish law enforcement conducted an examination of the detained vessel, and the country's Attorney General has decided to initiate a criminal case.

The police are investigating the incident as intentional severe damage to property, attempted intentional severe damage to property, and intentional interference with telecommunications,” the police clarified.

In 2024, there were many incidents of damage to communication and energy cables in the Baltic Sea. The most notable was the case of the Estlink 2 power line in the Gulf of Finland, which connects Finland and Estonia.

In January 2025, NATO countries, responding to possible sabotage, initiated the "Baltic Sentry" mission, deploying several frigates and maritime patrol aircraft to the Baltic Sea. After the mission began, the situation regarding infrastructure damage ceased.

It is also worth noting that the crew of the tanker, which belongs to the so-called shadow fleet transporting sanctioned oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, carelessly paints the Russian flag on board to avoid capture by the U.S. Coast Guard.

This incident is a serious signal for the countries in the region, as damage to underwater infrastructure can have significant consequences for communication and the economy. Police investigations and NATO military actions indicate that security issues in the Baltic Sea are becoming increasingly pressing in light of tensions in international relations.