Baltic states suffer another round of subsea cable damage from ships

Authorities in states that surround the Baltic Sea are investigating a series of suspected attacks on subsea cable infrastructure that connects the region’s telecommunications and electricity. 

Prime Ministers, presidents and police have commented on investigations into multiple undersea cables being damaged by passing ships, with Finnish Police (Poliisi) giving regular updates on the damage caused to a cable connecting Finland and Estonia by a 9,800-dwt general cargo vessel, Fitburg, on 31 December 2025.

In one of their more recent updates, the Finnish police said they are requesting a travel ban and a pretrial detention, respectively, for the two crew members arrested from the detained vessel.

A Russian national has been subjected to a travel ban, according to the Poliisi, while an Azerbaijani national is in line for pretrial detention.

The vessel was reportedly carrying a cargo of steel products from Russia to Israel when it is suspected to have dragged its anchor and anchor chain for several kilometres before damaging a telecommunications cable, owned by service provider Elisa, that runs between the two countries’ capitals, Helsinki, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia.

Finland’s Border Guard located the suspected vessel after damage to the cable was reported by Elisa, and the agency located the vessel, boarded it and moved it to Finnish waters.

"The Border Guard’s patrol vessel Turva and helicopter found the suspected vessel within Finland’s exclusive economic zone. The vessel’s anchor chain was found to be lowered into the sea. The Border Guard instructed the vessel to stop and raise the anchor. The Border Guard also requested that the vessel move to a safe anchorage within Finnish territorial waters," the Poliisi said.

"Finnish authorities have taken control of the vessel as part of a joint operation. Responsibility for leading the investigation has been transferred from the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard to the Helsinki Police Department. The police have been in contact with the National Prosecutor’s Office, and the Prosecutor General has issued a prosecution order. At this stage, the police are investigating the incident as aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage, and aggravated interference with telecommunications."

Multiple Finnish agencies and national and international authorities are partnering on the investigation, which the Poliisi said will go on for several weeks.

"The police, supported by the Border Guard and the Defence Forces, have conducted maritime investigations. Estonian authorities have participated in the investigative efforts on site. The Joint Investigation Team will continue the investigations throughout the weekend," the Polissi said.

Subsea examinations have focused on, among other things, drag marks found on the seabed, which appear to align with the vessel’s route.

"Based on the examinations conducted so far, there is reason to suspect that the anchor and anchor chain of the Fitburg vessel have dragged along the seabed for at least several tens of kilometres before reaching the point of damage to the telecommunications cable owned by Elisa," the police agency said.

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said Finland is monitoring the situation closely.

"Finland is prepared for security challenges of various kinds, and we respond to them as necessary," he wrote on the social media platform X.

A second cable may have been damaged, with Estonia reportedly confirming a telecomms cable outage along the same cable route.

Estonian President Alar Karis expressed concern over the incident and said on X, "Hopefully it was not a deliberate act, but the investigation will clarify".

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said users had not been affected by the incident and that its state police had launched an investigation. 

The state police wrote on X that it had not detained the ship.

"The State Police has received information that on 2 January this year, an optical cable belonging to a private company was damaged in the Baltic Sea, near Liepāja, in the territorial waters of Latvia. An investigation into the circumstances was immediately launched. Tonight, 4 January, State Police officers, in co-operation with the Coast Guard Service, as well as other internal affairs services, boarded the specific vessel, which is currently in the port of Liepāja, and are in contact with its crew. At present, the vessel or its crew have not been detained, they are co-operating with the police, and active work to clarify the circumstances continues," the post read.

EU Commission executive vice president Henna Virkkunen said the commission is also closely monitoring the incidents in the Baltic and that the bloc is "prepared to counter hybrid threats".

"In line with the Action Plan on Cable Security, we will fund a hub to monitor submarine cable threats and enable quick responses in the Baltic Sea area. More funding for cable repair capability will be available in early 2026," she said.