Finnish forces seize Russian tanker amid sabotage concerns
Finnish special forces seized the Russian tanker Eagle S, suspected of damaging the Estlink-2 power cable connecting Finland to Estonia. Finnish authorities do not rule out deliberate action and have no intention of informing Russia about this incident.
The Finnish police and coast guard boarded the Eagle S tanker on Thursday, just after midnight, taking control of the ship's bridge. According to Helsinki Police Chief Jari Liukku at a press conference, the ship was intercepted in the Finnish exclusive economic zone and brought into territorial waters.
Registered in the Cook Islands, Eagle S is suspected of being part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet." As reported by the Daily Mail, this fleet consists of outdated tankers with unclear ownership, which are used to circumvent sanctions by transporting Russian energy resources.
The anchor of the Eagle S tanker is suspected of causing damage to the Estlink-2 cable, which transmits electricity between Finland and Estonia across the Baltic Sea. The failure occurred on December 25, just after noon.
A representative of the Finnish transmission system operator Fingrid, Arto Pahkin, did not exclude deliberate action.
This is one of the versions we are considering. There were two ships in the area where the cables are located. The possibility of sabotage cannot be ruled out - stated Pahkin.
Finnish Police Chief Ilkka Koskimaki, when asked if he had contacted Russian authorities in light of the incident, briefly responded: "No." When asked if he intends to do so, he replied: "We will not."
In response to the incident, the Estonian armed forces launched a maritime operation to protect the Estlink-1 submarine power cable. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna commented: "If there is a threat to critical underwater infrastructure in our region, there will also be a response."
Finland detains Russian tanker. Tensions rise in the region
This is another case of disruption to key infrastructure in the region recently. In November, two data cables were damaged: one between Finland and Germany, the other between Lithuania and Sweden.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius stated at that time that "sabotage" should be assumed, although he did not provide evidence or identify potential perpetrators.
In September 2022, the Nord Stream underwater gas pipelines, linking Russia to Germany, were destroyed by underwater explosions. So far, it has not been established who was responsible for this incident.
