An undersea power cable that runs between Finland and Estonia was disconnected on Christmas Day. Finland is pretty sure that Russia is to blame.
On Thursday, Finnish authorities boarded an oil tanker that is part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” used to dodge sanctions and that just so happened to be spotted passing over the EstLink 2 underwater cable as it stopped working.
The incident happened at 12pm Wednesday, and Arto Pahkin, Finland’s head of operations for the electricity grid, immediately said sabotage could not be ruled out. Finnish authorities have also confirmed that damage was caused to at least 3 other cables, potentially part of the same incident.
This led to the seizure of Eagle S, an oil tanker registered to the Cook Islands but believed to belong to Russia. The ship’s tracking data suggests it was carrying oil from Russia to Egypt. Authorities believe the ship’s anchor, which could not be found on the ship, was used to cut the cables.
The Christmas Day cable cutting is the latest in a series of incidents in which undersea cables connecting NATO countries have been severed. Last month, two fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea—one running between Finland & Germany, another connecting Lithuania & Sweden—were cut.
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An undersea power cable that runs between Finland and Estonia was disconnected on Christmas Day. Finland is pretty sure that Russia is to blame.
On Thursday, Finnish authorities boarded an oil tanker that is part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” used to dodge sanctions and that just so happened to be spotted passing over the EstLink 2 underwater cable as it stopped working.
The incident happened at 12pm Wednesday, and Arto Pahkin, Finland’s head of operations for the electricity grid, immediately said sabotage could not be ruled out. Finnish authorities have also confirmed that damage was caused to at least 3 other cables, potentially part of the same incident.
This led to the seizure of Eagle S, an oil tanker registered to the Cook Islands but believed to belong to Russia. The ship’s tracking data suggests it was carrying oil from Russia to Egypt. Authorities believe the ship’s anchor, which could not be found on the ship, was used to cut the cables.
The Christmas Day cable cutting is the latest in a series of incidents in which undersea cables connecting NATO countries have been severed. Last month, two fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea—one running between Finland & Germany, another connecting Lithuania & Sweden—were cut.
Abridged (shortened) article thread ⬇️ 3 min
[https://bsky.app/profile/johnhatchard.bsky.social/post/3leaqjxhwdc2y](https://bsky.app/profile/johnhatchard.bsky.social/post/3leaqjxhwdc2y)
Bravo. Well done Suomi
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