Russian Captain And Senior Crew Of Ship On Trial In Finland Over Subsea Cable Damage

A Russian captain and an Azerbaijani crew member went on trial in Finland on Tuesday, Sept .8, over the suspected damage of two undersea telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland.

The two men are accused of causing damage with the anchor of the 132-metre (433-foot) cargo ship Fitburg.

Finnish authorities stopped the vessel on December 31, 2025, while it was travelling from Russia to Israel.

The ship is registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Finnish prosecutors say the ship’s anchor damaged two telecom cables connecting Finland and Estonia. They also accuse the crew of trying to damage eight other subsea connections.

According to the prosecution, the anchor was dragged along the seabed for at least 130 kilometres (80 miles) before the Fitburg was stopped.

The area where the anchor was allegedly dragged was outside Finland’s territorial waters, in Estonia’s exclusive economic zone. This has become a key issue in the trial.

The captain, who is Russian, and the ship’s bosun, an Azerbaijani citizen, deny the charges. They argue that Finland cannot prosecute them because the cable damage happened outside Finnish territorial waters.

The two men face charges of criminal mischief and interference with telecommunications. Finland’s National Prosecution Authority brought the charges in June.

Prosecutors are asking for prison sentences of at least two years and six months, according to the charge sheet.

According to the prosecutor, the incident caused major damage in Finland and raised a serious risk to telecommunications, electricity and gas networks.

Finland says that its courts have jurisdiction because the incident had consequences for the country.

Two other officers from the Fitburg were also investigated. Prosecutors later decided not to charge them, Finnish broadcaster Yle reported.

Per reports, a representative from the Russian embassy was at the Helsinki District Court to follow the proceedings.

In a similar case, three crew members from the tanker Eagle S were accused of dragging its anchor across the seabed and damaging 5 undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland on December 25, 2024.

The Helsinki District Court ruled last year that Finland did not have jurisdiction in that case.

That decision was overturned by the Helsinki Court of Appeal in August, which sent the case back to the district court.

The same issue is now being argued in the Fitburg trial. The damage took place outside Finland’s territorial waters, while Finnish prosecutors say the effects reached Finland.

The court will now consider the charges against the Fitburg’s captain and bosun.

References: economictimes, witness