A submarine cable broke between Finland and Estonia. A ship traveling from St. Petersburg is suspected

Finnish telecommunications company “Elisa” reported a break in a data cable that runs across the Gulf of Finland and connects the capital Helsinki with the Estonian capital Tallinn in the early hours of December 31. In response, Finnish border guards detained a ship traveling from St. Petersburg to Haifa, Israel.

This is reported by the Finnish media Yle and the German Der Spiegel.

Finnish authorities announced that a helicopter and a patrol boat had spotted the suspicious vessel “Fitburg” in Finnish waters after a new report of a disturbance. The vesselʼs anchor chain was also found in the sea. The vessel was initially ordered to stop and weigh anchor, and has since been taken into custody.

The “Fitburg” is not on the official sanctions list. However, “Open Sanctions”, which collects information on sanctions, has previously identified the “Fitburg” as a vessel of interest.

Finnish law enforcement is currently investigating the incident on suspicion of serious damage to property, attempted serious damage to property and serious disruption of telecommunications. However, according to “Elisa”, the location of the cable damage is likely to be in Estonian waters. Authorities in both countries intend to cooperate to clarify the circumstances of the incident.

Submarine cable incidents

On the afternoon of December 25, 2024, the “Estlink 2” submarine power cable between Finland and Estonia broke.

Two ships were passing overhead during the incident. Finnish police suspected that the Eagle S, which was en route from Russia to Egypt, was involved.

It slowed down significantly when the cable broke. There were suggestions that the cable broke due to an anchor that the ship was dragging along the seabed. The “Eagle S” tanker belongs to Russiaʼs shadow fleet. Spy equipment was found on it.

Finnish authorities detained the oil tanker “Eagle S” on December 26, 2024. When the vessel was detained, the crew threatened to cut the second “Estlink 1” power cable and the “Balticconnector” gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia.

In Finland, on August 11, 2025, criminal charges were brought against the captain and crew of the “Eagle S”.

On September 1, 2025, “Estlink 1” was disconnected due to interruptions in the DC line.

On 3 October 2025, the Helsinki District Court dismissed criminal charges against the captain and two officers of the tanker “Eagle S”. The court concluded that it had no jurisdiction to hear the case because the crimes with which the sailors were accused were committed in Finland’s exclusive economic zone, not in its territorial waters.

Therefore, the issue of jurisdiction should be decided in the sailors’ country of origin or in the flag state of the vessel. As a result, all charges were dropped, and Finland was ordered to pay defense costs of around €195 000.

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