
Prison sentences and compensation payments after damage to telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea
A court in Helsinki sentenced a Russian captain and an Azerbaijani crew member to several years in prison for intentionally damaging two submarine cables in the Gulf of Finland by dragging an anchor along the bottom.
AI-generated summary
Since the beginning of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, there have been several incidents involving cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Finland has subsequently increased the protection of its underwater infrastructure.
A court in Finland has sentenced the Russian captain and an Azerbaijani crew member of a freighter to several years in prison for serious sabotage of two telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea. The captain received a prison sentence of three years and six months, the Helsinki District Court announced. The crew member was sentenced to two years and ten months.
The two men are accused of intentionally damaging two submarine cables in the Gulf of Finland last year. They are said to have dragged an anchor and chain across the seabed over a distance of around 130 kilometers.
The convicts must jointly pay around 1.9 million euros in damages in addition to the prison sentences. The captain of the cargo ship “Fitburg” was also sentenced to an additional payment of around 85,000 euros.
The two men denied the allegations and disputed the jurisdiction of the Finnish judiciary. The captain will appeal the verdict, but the crew member has not yet made a decision, their respective lawyers said.
The ship has now been released again. Finland has stepped up its efforts to protect underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea after a series of incidents involving cables and pipelines there since the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Captain's appeal process
Very likely · Within months

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