Finnish court sentences Russian captain over Baltic Sea cable damage
A Helsinki court has sentenced the Russian captain and Azerbaijani boatswain of the cargo ship Fitburg to prison over damage to underwater telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland on December 31, 2025, Finnish broadcaster Yle reported on November 5.
Russian captain Andrei Maksimenko received a three-year, six-month prison sentence, while Azerbaijani boatswain Vusal Majidov was sentenced to two years and 10 months.
Both were convicted of aggravated criminal damage and ordered into immediate custody. They were also held jointly liable for compensation covering repair and investigation costs.
The verdict is not final and can be appealed. Both men denied wrongdoing.
An anchor dragged for 130 kilometers
The Helsinki District Court found that Fitburg dragged its anchor chain and an attached anchor component along the seabed for approximately 130 kilometers over several hours on New Year's Eve.
The incident damaged two underwater telecommunications cables and endangered seven other telecommunications and power cables, as well as a gas pipeline.
According to the court, the ship's anchor-locking mechanism was functional, and the anchor had been raised when Fitburg departed the Russian port of St. Petersburg the previous day.
The anchor was lowered sometime after departure but before the vessel left Russian territorial waters.
The court did not establish that the captain had personally ordered the anchor lowered or that the boatswain had physically lowered it. However, it concluded that both men must have known the anchor was down while the vessel crossed the routes of underwater cables and a gas pipeline.
The captain allowed the ship to continue dragging the anchor, while the boatswain actively contributed to its continued movement for approximately two hours after Finnish authorities first contacted the vessel, the court found.
Finnish authorities said the anchor was raised only after they alerted the crew.
The court concluded that the actions had created an exceptionally serious risk to functions essential to society.
Court ruling and investigation
The court found that the captain bore greater responsibility because he was ultimately in charge of the ship's navigation and operation.
It also dismissed a separate charge of aggravated interference with telecommunications, finding that the offense was already covered by the aggravated criminal damage conviction.
Fitburg was sailing under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and had been traveling from St. Petersburg toward Israel when Finnish authorities intercepted it following reports of cable damage between Finland and Estonia.
The defendants can appeal the ruling to a higher court.