Finland Escalates Probe After Seizing Ship in Suspected Baltic Sea Cable Sabotage

The seized vessel Fitburg rests in the harbor in Kirkkonummi, Finland, on Dec. 31, 2025. Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva via APFinland seized a cargo ship sailing from St. Petersburg, Russia, on Dec. 31 and has since escalated its criminal investigation on suspicion of sabotaging an undersea telecommunications cable running from Helsinki to Estonia across the Gulf of Finland.The seized vessel, named Fitburg, was en route to Israel from the Russian port at the time and was escorted by Finnish authorities to Kantvik harbour at around 5 p.m. local time on Dec. 31, according to a Jan. 1 statement from Finnish police.