Finland seizes Russia-linked tanker suspected of cutting vital undersea cables

Finland has seized an oil tanker suspected of having severed undersea power and internet cables, with Finnish authorities saying the vessel may have been part of Russia‘s “shadow fleet” of ships aimed at skirting Western sanctions.

The incident comes at a time when the region is already on high alert over the war in Ukraine, with NATO vowing to enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea following Wednesday’s cable-cutting incident.

The Finnish government said in a statement that the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia and several telecommunications cables had been severed. The country’s energy and telecommunications services nonetheless remained stable, it added.

Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said that the country would be deploying its navy to the area of the Estlink 1 cable in a bid to “defend and secure” Estonia’s energy connection with Finland.

Finnish police said Friday that an investigation was being carried out onboard the Eagle S cargo ship to determine whether it was involved in the cutting of cables in the Gulf of Finland on Wednesday.

They said the crew aboard the ship were being interviewed, while evidence was also being gathered in a “demanding and time-consuming investigation” into the alleged “aggravated vandalism.”

Finnish authorities said they suspect ship likely belongs to Russia’s shadow fleet, a set of unmarked tankers used to avoid avoid price caps imposed by western countries on Russian oil transported by sea over Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The use of a shadow fleet tanker to cut vital undersea cables would mark a major escalation in a region already on high alert over the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin declined to comment on the matter during a briefing on Friday.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said the alliance will “enhance” its military presence in the Baltic Sea following Wednesday’s cable-cutting incident.

“NATO stands in solidarity with Allies and condemns any attacks on critical infrastructure,” he said in a post on X on Friday.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in a statement Friday that together with Estonia, Finland had asked for a reinforced NATO presence in the area, “especially around critical infrastructure.” He said the request had “already been met.”

But, offering words of reassurance, he said: “Finland has a strong capacity to respond to situations like this.”

‘The situation is under control. We have no reason to be worried,” he added, noting that he had held an “extraordinary meeting” on the matter with Finland’s Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy earlier Friday.

Stubb said he hoped to see Finland together with its allies “continue to address the challenges posed by Russia’s shadow fleet.”

The European Union has said it is working on measures targeting Russia’s shadow fleet, including sanctions.

In a joint statement on Thursday, the European Commission and the High Representative on the Investigation into Damaged Electricity and Data Cables in the Baltic Sea noted that Wednesday’s incident was only the “latest in a series of suspected attacks on critical infrastructure.”

“We commend the Finnish authorities for their swift action in boarding the suspected vessel,” they said, adding that they were working with Finland on the investigation into the suspected attack.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com