A Helsinki court ruled Friday that it didn’t have jurisdiction over damage to undersea power and data cables in the Gulf of Finland allegedly caused by the captain and two officers of the Russia-linked oil tanker Eagle S.
“The District Court has today issued a judgment dismissing the charge in the case … along with the claims for damages arising from the charge, as it was not possible to apply Finnish criminal law to the case,” the court said in a statement.
Finland had filed criminal charges in August against Captain Davit Vadatchkoria and officers Robert Egizaryan and Santosh Kumar Chaurasia of the suspected shadow fleet ship Eagle S sailing under the flag of the Cook Islands, accusing them of damaging five telecom cables in the Gulf of Finland last December with the vessel’s anchor.
Prosecutors sought prison terms of more than two years, warning the incident could have sparked blackouts and power price spikes.
The incident fueled calls to crack down on Russia’s “shadow fleet” and prompted NATO to step up seabed patrols following a string of cable disruptions in the region.
The trial was also seen as a test case for holding actors accountable for attacks on critical seabed infrastructure. But it collapsed over maritime law provisions and doubts about intent.
The court sided with the defense, ruling the damage occurred outside Finnish jurisdiction and ordering the state to reimburse the legal fees of the defendants.
Judges acknowledged the cable breaks caused economic damage to Finnish firms, but said the risk of widespread blackouts was unlikely as it required “other serious disturbances” alongside extreme weather.
The three defendants, who denied any wrongdoing, were barred from leaving Finland for nine months but departed in September after their travel ban was lifted.
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