Finland filed criminal charges Monday against the captain and crew of the suspected shadow fleet ship Eagle S, which is accused of attacking and damaging five telecom cables in the Gulf of Finland.
The charges, brought against the captain and two mates of the oil tanker — which Finnish authorities believe is part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet — include aggravated criminal mischief and interference with communications, plus other indictments. The trio have been barred from leaving Finland since the investigation began.
Finnish prosecutors said that the defendants deny the charges, claiming Helsinki lacks jurisdiction because the damaged cables lie outside its territorial waters.
The charges are the latest development in Finland’s investigation, which also led to the seizure of the Eagle S, prime suspect in the December 2024 incident that damaged four submarine cables and disrupted another in the Gulf of Finland.
The sabotage triggered calls for more robust action against Moscow’s shadow fleet, an armada of aging, often uninsured tankers that sanctioned nations like Russia rely on to bypass international penalties.
NATO has also mobilized forces to protect the seabed and critical communications infrastructure amid a pattern of similar incidents in the Baltic Sea, including the severing of an internet cable between Finland and Germany in November 2024, and another between Finland and Sweden in December 2024.
POLITICO has contacted the prosecutor’s office for comment.
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