Did a Russian ‘shadow ship’ cut the Finland-Estonia undersea Baltic cable?
Finnish authorities board a ship in the Baltic Sea that the West suspects is linked to Russia, a day after an underwater electricity cable was cut and other telecom cables snapped.
By Tips & Tricks News Guide
Finnish authorities detained a Russia-linked ship in the Baltic Sea on Thursday, suspecting it of damaging an undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia the previous day.
The incident has heightened concerns across Europe about a potential Russian hybrid warfare campaign targeting critical infrastructure in the Baltic region and beyond.
What happened in Finland?
Finnish police reported that a coastguard crew boarded an oil tanker in Finnish waters early Thursday.
The vessel, the Eagle S, is registered in the Cook Islands, located in the South Pacific.
According to the marine tracking website MarineTraffic, the ship was en route from Russia’s Saint Petersburg to Port Said in Egypt at the time of its detention. The platform also noted that the Eagle S is owned by Caravella, a vessel management company based in the United Arab Emirates.
The vessel crossed the cable at 10:26 GMT on Wednesday, coinciding with the timing of a reported power outage.
The 170-kilometer (106-mile) Estlink-2 undersea power cable that transmits electricity between Estonia and Finland was damaged that same day. Finnish broadcaster Yle reported that the cable is suspected to have been severed by the ship’s anchor.
Four telecom cables were also disrupted, including three connecting Finland and Estonia and one linking Finland and Germany.
Finland has launched a criminal investigation to determine whether the Russia-linked ship played a role in damaging the cable. The United States has pledged its support for the probe.
“We are coordinating closely with our allies and stand ready to support their investigations,” said a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council.
NATO condemned the incident, with Secretary General Mark Rutte stating on X: “We are following investigations by Estonia and Finland and stand ready to provide further support.”
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the event as “the latest in a series of suspected attacks on critical infrastructure.” She also noted that the ship is part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, which she said “threatens security and the environment while funding Russia’s war budget.”
What is a shadow ship?
A shadow ship, or ghost ship, refers to an aging vessel with unclear ownership, often used to transport Russian fuel and evade Western sanctions and price caps on Russian oil amid Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
Following the recent Baltic Sea incident, the Estonian government held an emergency meeting. Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that repairs to the damaged cable could take up to seven months.
Speaking at a news conference, Michal emphasized that these shadow vessels “enable Russia to generate funds that support its hybrid attacks.”
Estonia’s armed forces have initiated a naval operation to safeguard the Estlink 1 undersea power cable, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna announced on Friday.
What hybrid warfare incidents have taken place recently?
Hybrid warfare involves using conventional and unconventional tactics to destabilize countries without triggering a full-scale war.
This form of warfare includes activities such as assassination attempts, election interference, and attacks on critical infrastructure like undersea cables. NATO allies have frequently accused Russia of employing hybrid warfare tactics, though proving such actions are deliberate acts of warfare is notoriously difficult.
On November 17 and 18, two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were severed—one connecting Finland and Germany and another linking Lithuania and Sweden.
Media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, reported that the Chinese-flagged bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, which had departed from Russia's Ust-Luga port, appeared to pass over the cables around the time they were damaged.
Germany's defense minister stated that authorities had to assume the incidents were acts of sabotage but did not identify a culprit or present evidence.
“The Baltic Sea states have been steadily taking more decisive measures against cable cutting,” Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, told News Guide. He added that actions such as investigations could act as a deterrent to future sabotage by raising the risk of cargo seizures.
He noted that an armed attack on Finnish or Estonian infrastructure, as outlined in Article 5 of the NATO treaty, remains unlikely.
Article 5 mandates that an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on the entire alliance. Estonia has been a NATO member since 2004, while Finland joined in 2023 amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
In 2022, explosions damaged two Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany. Berlin continues to investigate the incidents, and it has not claimed responsibility for them.
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