Finnish National Police Chief Ilka Koskimki attends a press conference in Helsinki, Finland, Thursday, December 26, 2024, and says that, according to Finland’s electricity transmission operator, the connection between Finland and Finland through the Estlink 2 connection, which was severed on Christmas Day, Fingrid is investigating power transmission between Estonia. Jussi Nukari/AP/Lehtikuva Hide caption
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Jussi Nukari/AP/Lehtikuva
FRANKFURT, Germany — Finnish authorities are investigating whether power cables and multiple data cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged in the latest incident that disrupted key infrastructure in the region, leading to ties with neighboring Russia. Police announced that they had captured a vessel.
Helsinki Police Chief Jari Ryuk told a news conference that Finnish police and border guards boarded the Eagle S early Thursday and took over the command bridge. Police said the ship was detained in Finnish territorial waters.
The Eagle S is registered in the Cook Islands, but Finnish customs officials and the European Union Executive Committee described it as part of Russia’s shadow fuel tanker fleet. These are old vessels with unclear ownership, acquired during the Ukraine war to circumvent Western sanctions, and are operating without Western-regulated insurance. Russia’s use of the vessel raises environmental concerns about accidents, given the age of the vessel and the uncertainty of insurance coverage.
The Eagle S anchor is suspected of damaging the cable, Yale TV reported based on a police statement.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kalas said in a statement that the incident was “the latest in a series of suspected attacks on critical infrastructure” and praised Finnish authorities’ “swift action against boarding the suspected vessel”.
Karas, a former Estonian prime minister, said the ship was “part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment while funding Russia’s war budget.” “We propose further measures, including sanctions targeting this fleet.”
This photo provided by Rjavartiost (Finnish Border Guard) on Thursday, December 26, 2024, shows the oil tanker Eagle S at sea outside Porkkalanniemi, Finland. Rajavartiost (Finnish Border Guard)/AP Hide caption
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Rajavartiost (Finnish Border Guard)/AP
The Estlink 2 power transmission cable, which supplies electricity from Finland across the Baltic Sea to Estonia, failed on Wednesday. The incident follows damage to two data cables and a Nord Stream gas pipeline, both of which have been described as sabotage.
The Estonian government held an emergency meeting regarding the incident. Prime Minister Kristen Michal said at a press conference that the shadow tankers were “contributing to the acquisition of funds to support Russia’s hybrid attacks.” “We need to strengthen monitoring and protection of critical infrastructure on land and at sea.”
He said repairs to the cable could take up to seven months.
Estonian President Aral Kallis said on the Together, we will take action to counter this threat.”
Two data cables – one between Finland and Germany and the other between Lithuania and Sweden – were cut in November. Germany’s defense minister said authorities should assume the incident was an “act of sabotage”, but gave no evidence and did not say who was responsible. The remarks came during a speech that discussed the threat of hybrid warfare posed by Russia.
The Nord Stream pipeline, which once carried natural gas from Russia to Germany, was damaged by an underwater explosion in September 2022. Authorities blamed sabotage and launched a criminal investigation.
Estonian network operator Elering said it had enough spare capacity to meet Estonia’s electricity needs, public broadcaster ERR reported on its website.
