Finnish court sentences "Fitburg" captain and boatswain over damage to telecom cables

A court in Finland on Thursday convicted the captain of the ship "Fitburg", a Russian citizen, and its boatswain, an Azerbaijani citizen, of damaging two telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland between Finland and Estonia. The captain received a prison sentence of three years and six months, while the boatswain was sentenced to two years and ten months.

The Gulf of Finland is the stretch of sea between Finland and Estonia where undersea communication cables link the two countries.

What the charges said

According to the charges, the two men cut two undersea telecommunications cables. They were also accused of attempting to damage eight more undersea connections. The accusation states this happened as the ship dragged a damaged anchor along the seabed for at least 130 kilometres.

During the trial, both the captain and the boatswain denied guilt on the charges brought against them.

Detention of the vessel

Finnish authorities detained the "Fitburg" on 31 December 2025. At that time the ship was travelling from Saint Petersburg in Russia to Haifa in Israel. The vessel was released on 12 January, but several crew members were barred from leaving Finland.

The source does not say whether the verdict has taken effect or whether it will be appealed.