Finnish prosecutors have charged the captain and two senior officers of the Eagle S oil tanker for allegedly damaging several undersea cables between Finland and Estonia last year.
The charges include aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications.
Authorities say the vessel dragged its anchor for about 90 kilometers in the Gulf of Finland on December 25, cutting five submarine cables, including the Estlink 2 power link.
The damage affected power and communication lines vital to both countries, causing repair costs estimated at over 60 million euros.
While alternative routes kept services running, the incident created a serious risk to energy supply and telecommunications in Finland.
The Eagle S, flagged in the Cook Islands but described by European officials as part of Russia’s shadow fleet, had departed from Russia’s Ust-Luga port carrying oil products.
Such vessels are often linked to sanctions evasion and operate without standard Western insurance.
Finnish authorities believe the act was deliberate, in line with suspected sabotage against European infrastructure since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The officers deny the allegations and argue Finland has no legal authority because the damage occurred outside its territorial waters.
Estlink 2, which supplies up to half of Estonia’s winter electricity needs, was not shut down, though energy prices in the Baltic region rose after the incident.