Finland Jails Russian Captain and Azerbaijani Crew Member Over Baltic Sea Cable Damage

By Reuters Nov. 5, 2026 The Fitburg at the port of Kantvik after it was seized in December 2025. Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva / Reuters A Finnish court on Thursday found a Russian ship captain and an Azerbaijani crew member guilty of aggravated sabotage after their vessel, the cargo ship Fitburg, damaged two underwater telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland last year. Finland seized the Fitburg in the Gulf of Finland on Dec. 31 while it was sailing from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Israel. Authorities in the Nordic country suspected it purposefully damaged cables running from Finland to nearby Estonia. A judge at the Helsinki District Court sentenced the Russian ship captain to 3 years and 6 months in prison, while the Azerbaijani crew member received 2 years and 10 months. In a statement, the court said the two men acted intentionally when the ship dragged an anchor chain and shank along the seabed for around 130 kilometers (81 miles). Lawyers said that the Fitburg's captain will appeal the verdict, though the crew member has not yet decided whether to do so. The Helsinki District Court also ordered the two men to jointly pay around 1.9 million euros ($2.1 million) in damages. The captain is required to pay another 85,000 euros, the verdict showed. Both the captain and crew member, who have remained in Finland since the Fitburg's seizure and are subject to travel bans, have denied any wrongdoing. They also challenged Finland's jurisdiction in the case. The 14 crew members of the vessel were nationals of Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, investigators said. Finland has stepped up efforts to protect its undersea infrastructure following a string of incidents impacting cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea in recent years. Read more about: Finland , Court cases Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more Trial Begins in Moscow Over Crocus Concert Hall Attack Nineteen defendants are on trial for the March 2024 Crocus City Hall attack, where gunmen killed 149 people and injured more than 600. 2 Min read Bashkortostan Court Sentences Activist to 12 Years in Prison Over Navalny Ties Olga Komleva was found guilty of being involved with an “extremist” organization and spreading “false information” about the Russian military. 1 Min read Moscow Court Orders Pre-Trial Detention of Political Analyst Ekaterina Schulmann in Absentia Schulmann, a prominent commentator on parliamentary politics, left Russia for Germany in early 2022 shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 1 Min read Finnish Court Sentences Russian Ultranationalist to Life in Prison for War Crimes in Ukraine Vojislav Torden received a life prison sentence for war crimes committed in Ukraine in 2014, including the mutilation of a wounded Ukrainian soldier. 1 Min read