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Captain and bosun sentenced to jail for damaging subsea cables
The Helsinki District Cour court has sentenced the captain and a crew member of the 'Fitburg', now sailing as 'Finex', for deliberately damaging two subsea telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland on New Year’s Eve 2025. The Court handed the Russian captain Andrei Maksimenko a 3,5 year prison sentence, while Azerbaijani bosun Vusal Majidov received two years and ten months after both were convicted of aggravated criminal damage. The court ordered the two men, who had been subject to travel bans during proceedings, to be taken into custody immediately. They were also ordered to pay compensation for the damage caused to subsea infrastructure. The 'Fitburg' was intercepted by Finnish authorities on December 31, 2025, while sailing from the Russian port St. Petersburg to Israel carrying steel products. Investigators established that the vessel had dragged its damaged anchor and chain along the seabed for around 130 km, damaging two telecommunications cables belonging to Elisa and Arelion Finland. The anchor also crossed seven other telecommunications and power cables and a gas pipeline, creating a risk of further damage to critical infrastructure. The court found that the anchor had been lowered after the ship departed St. Petersburg but before it left Russian territorial waters. Although prosecutors did not claim that the captain had personally ordered the anchor lowered, the court ruled that both men must have known it was dragging while the vessel continued its voyage. It also found that the bosun had actively contributed to the ship continuing for around two hours after Finnish authorities first contacted the vessel. Both defendants denied wrongdoing and challenged Finland’s jurisdiction, arguing that the damage occurred outside its territorial waters. The court rejected that argument, ruling that Finnish courts could hear the case because the offences were intentional and their consequences were felt in Finland. The defendants were also charged with aggravated interference with telecommunications, but the court dismissed that separate count because it was covered by the aggravated criminal damage conviction. The ruling was not final. The captain’s lawyer has indicated that he intended to appeal, while the bosun was also considering challenging the verdict.
Trial against Russian captain for aggravated sabotage and aggravated interference with telecommunications has begun
The trial of a Russian captain who has been charged with aggravated sabotage and aggravated interference with telecommunications has begun in Finland on Sep 8. His ship, the 'Fitburg', actually sailing as 'Fenix', was stopped on New Year's Eve 2025 after two data communication cables were damaged in the Estonian EEZ between Helsinki and Tallinn. The Fitburg was ordered to a port in Finland. According to a preliminary investigation, the ship dragged an anchor along the seabed for at least 130 kilometers before being stopped. The prosecutor believed that the ship had posed a serious threat to the operation of telecommunications, electricity and gas networks in Finland. The captain claimed that the incident was not a Russian hybrid attack. An Azerbaijani crew member was also on trial and denies the charges. The 'Fitburg' was taken to the port of Kantvik in Kirkkonummi for investigation. After two weeks, the ship was allowed to leave Finland.
Charges against Russian captain and bosun of former Fitbuirg for damaging sea cables
Finnish prosecutors filed charges against the captain and bosun of the 'Fitburg', owned by a Turkish businessman with links to Russia and now sailing as 'Finex', for damaging two subsea telecom cables of the Finnish telecom company Elisa, running between Estonia and Finland, and the Swedish telecom company Arelion, running between Estonia and Finland, on Dec 31, 2025, and for attempting to damage additional cables when the ship was stopped. A decision on possible charges against two other officers from the ship, who were also detained in Finland, was to be made at a later date. The Russian captain and the bosun, who is an Azerbaijani national, were each charged with “aggravated criminal mischief” and aggravated interference with telecommunications. The prosecutors said the charges also included alternate indictments. The offenses carry prison sentences ranging between two and ten years. The prosecutors stated that the anchor was dragged for 130 kilometers (more than 80 miles), and they assert the ship was attempting to damage up to eight other subsea connections. In addition to the damage to the telecom lines, prosecutors said electricity and gas networks were in danger. The two accused have denied committing the offenses. Their lawyers were also questioning Finland’s jurisdiction in the case as the cables were outside Finnish territorial waters. The prosecutors said that would be an issue for the court to decide.
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