Finland charges ship captain over Baltic cable sabotage
The Eagle S is believed to belong to the Russian shadow fleet – old tankers used to skirt restrictions on Russian oil exports
The captain and two officers of a ship believed to belong to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet have been charged with sabotage for cutting five Baltic Sea cables in December, Finnish prosecutors said on Monday.
Denying the offences in a preliminary investigation, the defendants have argued that Finland has no jurisdiction in the case, because the cuts took place outside Finnish territorial waters.
Several undersea Baltic cables were damaged last year, with many experts calling it part of a “hybrid war” carried out by Russia against Western countries.
Sweden and Finland joined NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the military alliance has increased its surveillance in the Baltic Sea.
European shipowners helped build Russia’s shadow fleet, investigation says
Shipping companies from Western countries sold off discarded oil tankers that became part of Russia’s…
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