On Friday, October 3, a Helsinki court ruled Finland lacked jurisdiction over the December 2024 incident in which a Russian shadow‑fleet tanker allegedly severed Estlink 2 and four internet cables in the Gulf of Finland.
Verdict in Baltic Cable Damage Case
The District Court in Helsinki heard the case on Friday, October 3 concerning damage to the Estlink 2 power cable and four internet cables in the Gulf of Finland, an incident that occurred in December 2024. The accused, the captain and two deck officers of the Russian tanker from the “shadow fleet,” Eagle S, had prosecutors demand they be sentenced to at least 2½ years in prison without the possibility of parole. The men and their lawyer argued that Finland had no jurisdiction over the matter, a position the court confirmed on Friday, as reported by Finnish portal YLE.
Finnish Court Declares Lack of Jurisdiction
According to YLE reporters, the court ruled that the alleged acts were committed before the vessels entered Finnish territorial waters. The judgment also stated that criminal jurisdiction over cable damage in the Gulf of Finland belongs either to the flag state of the ship or to the courts of the countries of the defendants’ citizenship. Accordingly, Finland would have to pay court costs amounting to about €195 000. The District Court in Helsinki had been handling the case since the end of September. During that period witnesses were questioned and evidence presented. Police had investigated for about six months.
Details of Decic Incident
Eagle S, which in December was sailing to Egypt carrying Russian gas, had reportedly cut the cables with its anchors at some point. Coast Guard therefore contacted the vessel to confirm that its anchors were hoisted and secured. “Yes, sir, our anchors are secured,” the crew replied, as quoted by CBS News. Three hours later it turned out that this was not the case.
Police Investigation and Alleged Deliberate Action
“We had strong reasons to suspect this was deliberate on their part,” said the Helsinki police commander Jari Liukku.
