Finnish police investigating last year’s damage to two telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea connecting Finland and Estonia said on Friday that their criminal investigation into the damage was concluded.
The apparent sabotage on December 31 was one of several cases affected undersea infrastructure in the Baltic since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Soon after, Finland seized the Fitburg cargo ship — flying the flag of the Caribbean state of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines — while it was en route from Russia to Israel, suspecting it of involvement in the damage to cables linking Helsinki and Tallinn.
Two people were arrested soon after.
What did police say about the investigation?
“The investigation concluded with four suspects, three of whom remain subject to a travel ban,” police said in a statement.
Police said they investigated suspected aggravated criminal damage and attempted criminal damage, as well as aggravated interference with telecommunications. Two subsea cables owned by Elisa Oyj and Arelion Finland Oy were affected.
“The criminal investigation is complete and the case will be now referred to prosecution authorities for consideration of charges,” police said.
Various Finnish and Estonian authorities contributed to the investigation with a special Joint Investigation Team set up for the task.
Police said that the ship was held until mid-January as part of the investigation. Evidence was taken from the damage site, from the vessel, and from “devices belonging to crew members.”
“The investigation included, among other measures, interviews, underwater surveys, and extensive inter-agency cooperation,” police said.
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Why is the Baltic region on increased alert?
Security concerns in the Baltic region have been amplified since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Finland, which borders Russia and remained neutral throughout the Cold War, sought and gained entry to the NATO military alliance in response to the war.
As well as the most famous damage to underwater infrastructure since 2022, the explosions and damage to Russia’s Nordstream gas pipelines, several incidents have affected other undersea cables and pipelines in the region.
NATO boosted its security capabilities protecting the waters, with additional patrols by ships, aircraft and drones in response.
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Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
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