Overview

• Finnish prosecutors have charged the Eagle S’s captain and two senior officers with aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications.
• Authorities allege the crew deliberately damaged the Estlink-2 power cable and four telecom lines on December 25, 2024, severing links between Finland and Estonia and causing more than €60 million in repair costs.
• The Cook Islands–flagged tanker is classified by EU and Finnish customs officials as part of Russia’s shadow fleet used to bypass Western sanctions.
• The defendants argue that Finland lacks jurisdiction because the sabotage took place outside its territorial waters and they have been barred from leaving the country.
• NATO’s Baltic Sentry patrols remain active around the seabed while the EU maintains sanctions aimed at protecting undersea infrastructure from further hybrid warfare threats.