Finland lifts seizure of ship suspected of sabotaging telecom cable from Russia

Finnish authorities have lifted the seizure of a cargo ship under investigation for suspected sabotage of an undersea telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia, officials said on January 12, though the probe continues.

The Baltic Sea region remains on high alert following a series of outages affecting power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

NATO has responded by bolstering its presence with frigates, aircraft and naval drones.

The Fitburg cargo ship, travelling from Russia to Israel, was seized by Finnish authorities on December 31. One crew member was detained in connection with the investigation.

“Finnish and Estonian police have completed their work on board the vessel, and the seizure can therefore be lifted,” said Risto Lohi, head of the investigation at Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation.

The ship is expected to leave Finnish waters on January 12, though some crew members remain subject to travel restrictions. Authorities have not disclosed further details of the ongoing probe.

By Aghakazim Guliyev