UPDATE: Just hours ago, Finnish authorities detained the crew of a cargo ship after a critical undersea internet cable was severed early on New Year’s Eve. At approximately 5:00 a.m., technicians from Finnish telecom company Elisa detected a major fault in a deep-sea cable connecting Helsinki to Estonia, disrupting vital internet services.
The Finnish Coast Guard responded swiftly, deploying a helicopter and the patrol ship Turva to the Gulf of Finland. There, they found the Fitburg, a 132-meter cargo vessel apparently dragging its anchor directly over the damaged cable. The ship was en route from St. Petersburg to Israel when it was ordered to halt and escorted to the Port of Kantvik.
In a rapid operation, the Finnish Border Guard took control of the Fitburg and its 14 crew members. So far, two sailors—a Russian and an Azerbaijani national—have been formally arrested, while two others face travel bans. Authorities are investigating the incident as a case of “aggravated sabotage,” although Police Chief Ilkka Koskimäki has not yet assigned blame to any specific nation.
This incident raises alarms as Finland grapples with potential threats to its cybersecurity and infrastructure. The Finnish President Alexander Stubb has assured the public of the nation’s preparedness for such security challenges. The Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs in Estonia confirmed that while some services experienced limitations, connections remain backed up through alternative sea and land cables.
Adding to the gravity of the situation, customs officers discovered the Fitburg was carrying sanctioned Russian steel, making its cargo illegal under current EU trade laws. This unexpected find escalates the legal issues facing the ship’s operators and intensifies scrutiny regarding potential hybrid warfare tactics, which involve non-traditional assaults on critical infrastructure.
Finnish MP Jarno Limnell has emphasized that such undersea cables now represent a new “front line” for national security, highlighting the growing global concerns over internet and communications vulnerabilities.
As investigators utilize underwater robots to assess the seabed, they are trying to determine whether the anchor was dropped accidentally or if there was a deliberate effort to sever connections in the region.
This is a developing story that has implications not only for Finland but for international security as a whole. Stay tuned for more updates as this situation unfolds.
