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Finland seizes vessel suspected of damaging undersea cable
Authorities suspect the ship's dragging anchor caused damage to a critical undersea telecom cable; repairs are underway and telecom services remain largely operational, officials said.
- On Dec 31, Finnish police seized the cargo vessel Fitburg after intercepting it in the Gulf of Finland and directing it into Finnish waters off Porkkala over suspected cable damage between Helsinki and Tallinn.
- Elisa detected a fault at around 05:00 on Wednesday and notified authorities, prompting a Finnish Border Guard patrol and helicopter to find the vessel dragging its anchor as police investigate suspected sabotage.
- A 132‑metre cargo ship, the Fitburg, was identified as the suspect; it sailed from St Petersburg to Haifa under St Vincent and the Grenadines flag, and its 14 crew members were detained.
- Cross‑border agencies are coordinating and Elisa said the damage did not affect domestic services because traffic was rerouted through alternative undersea connections, while physical repairs face delays due to adverse weather.
- Since 2023, analysts note at least 11 suspected acts in the Baltic Sea, with many experts linking these incidents to Russia and NATO officials warning of hybrid threats.
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155 Articles
155 Articles
Finland detains Russia-linked ship suspected of sabotage
Early in the morning on Dec. 31, the Finnish telecommunications service provider Elisa reported that an undersea cable linking Finland and Estonia had been damaged. The cargo ship Fitburg, sailing from Russia, may have been responsible.
·Kyiv, Ukraine
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources155
Leaning Left32Leaning Right18Center40Last UpdatedBias Distribution44% Center
Bias Distribution
- 44% of the sources are Center
44% Center
L 36%
C 44%
R 20%
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