Finnish authorities have arrested two individuals in connection with the damage to a critical undersea telecommunications cable in the Gulf of Finland, heightening concerns over hybrid warfare in the Baltic region. The incident occurred earlier this week along the cable linking Helsinki and Tallinn, operated by Finnish telecom company Elisa and classified as critical infrastructure. On Wednesday, Finnish police seized the cargo vessel Fitburg while it was en route from Russia to Israel, suspecting it of sabotaging the cable. According to investigators, the ship—carrying a load of steel products—was observed dragging its anchor at the time of the damage. Finnish authorities boarded the vessel and escorted it to the port of Kantvik in Kirkkonummi for inspection. On Thursday, police confirmed the arrest of two crew members, imposed travel bans on two others, and began interrogations. The 14-member crew includes citizens of Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. Officials stated that the telecommunications cable is currently unusable, though the full extent of the damage has yet to be assessed. The case adds to a growing list of suspicious incidents affecting undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, reinforcing fears of covert sabotage and escalating geopolitical tensions in Northern Europe.
