Finland court dismisses case against crew of Russian tanker over cable cuts

A Helsinki court dismissed a case on Friday against three members of a ship from Russia"s "shadow fleet" suspected of cutting Baltic Sea cables. The court ruled that the case was beyond its jurisdiction.

The captain and two senior officers of the Cook Islands-registered oil tanker Eagle S were accused of dragging the anchor on the seabed for approximately 90 kilometers (56 miles), which resulted in damage to five undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland on December 25, 2024.

This ruling comes amid ongoing concerns regarding maritime security in the region. The incident involving the Eagle S has drawn attention to the vulnerabilities of undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

For related coverage, see our report on Ukrainian drones striking an oil refinery in Russia"s Orenburg region.