BBC News reports:

Finnish police are investigating whether a Russian ship was involved in the sabotage of an electricity cable running between Finland and Estonia.

The authorities said on Thursday that they believe the anchor of the Eagle S, a tanker registered with the Cook Islands, may have damaged the Estlink 2 cable, which became disconnected on Wednesday.

The vessel is thought to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet”, which is made up of ships that carry embargoed Russian oil products.

It is the latest in a series of incidents in recent years, in which underwater cables in the Baltic region have been either damaged or severed completely.

Fingrid, the operator of Finland’s national grid, said Estlink 2 remained out of service but that the damage “did not endanger the operation of the electricity system” in the country.

Repairs are expected to take “several months”.

“From our side we are investigating grave sabotage,” said Robin Lardot, director of Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

President Alexander Stubb posted on X that he had been given an “overview” of the cable breach from authorities.

He underlined the need to “avert the risks” posed by vessels that are part of the shadow fleet.

Finnish police have said the case is being investigated as “aggravated criminal mischief”.

The damaged cable had a transmission capacity of 650 megawatts and is 170km long (105 miles), 145km of which is submerged. The fault was located on Thursday in the submarine section.

The EU has threatened to impose further sanctions against Russia as a result of the incident and said it was “strengthening efforts to protect undersea cables”. [Continue reading…]