Getty ImagesFinnish police are investigating whether a Russian ship was involved in sabotaging a power line between Finland and Estonia.
Officials said on Thursday that they believe the anchor of the Cook Islands-registered tanker Eagle SK may have damaged the East Link 2 cable, which was severed on Wednesday.
The ship is believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” which consists of ships that carry restricted Russian oil products..
It is the latest in a series of incidents in recent years, in which underwater cables in the Baltic region have been either damaged or completely severed.
Finland’s national grid operator Fingard said Estlink 2 was out of service but the damage “does not threaten the operation of the electricity system” in the country.
Repairs are expected to take “several months.”
Robin Lardot, director of Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), said: “We are investigating serious sabotage on our part.”
President Alexander Stubb posted on X that he had been “reviewed” by authorities for the cable breach.
He stressed the need to “avoid threats” posed by ships forming part of the Shadow Fleet.
Finnish police have said the case is being investigated as “escalating criminal mischief”.
The damaged cable had a transmission capacity of 650 MW and is 170 km (105 mi) long, of which 145 km is submerged. The malfunction occurred in the submarine section on Thursday.
Damage to critical submarine infrastructure has become “so frequent” that it casts doubt on the idea that the damage was “accidental” or “simply a malfunction of the ship,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsehakana said on Thursday. ” can be understood.
“We must understand that submarine infrastructure damage has become more systematic and should therefore be treated as attacks against our critical infrastructure,” Tsahkana said in a press release.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that the Eagle S has been towed to a port in Finland.
“In addition to curbing sanctions, the shadow fleet is a security threat in the Baltic Sea and we cannot just sit back and watch,” Taskhna continued.
A telecommunications cable running between Finland and Germany was cut in November, and an internet link between Lithuania and the Swedish island of Gotland stopped working around the same time.
German prosecutors are still investigating the 2022 explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany.
And in October 2023, a natural gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was severely damaged.
Finnish authorities later said the incident was caused by a Chinese container ship dragging its anchor.