Finland subsea cable damage trial opens for ship crew

A Russian ship captain and an Azerbaijani bosun went on trial in Helsinki on Tuesday over allegations that the cargo ship Fitburg damaged two telecommunications cables linking Finland and Estonia.

The 132-metre cargo ship, registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was travelling from Russia to Israel when Finnish authorities stopped it on December 31, 2025.

The two defendants are charged with aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with telecommunications. According to the charge sheet, prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of at least two years and six months.

Finland's National Prosecution Authority pressed charges in June. It accused the crew of cutting two undersea telecommunications cables and attempting to damage eight more subsea connections by dragging a damaged anchor for at least 130 kilometres along the seabed.

The alleged dragging took place outside Finland's territorial waters in Estonia's exclusive economic zone. Prosecutors say the incident caused significant immediate damage and posed a serious risk to telecommunications, electricity and gas networks in Finland.

The defendants deny the charges and argue that Finland lacks jurisdiction because the cables were damaged outside Finnish territorial waters. Finland says it has jurisdiction because the consequences affected the country.