They dragged the anchor along the bottom of the Baltic Sea for 130 km. Damaged cables and a verdict

Captain Andrei Makismenko was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison, and crew member Wusal Mechidow to two years and ten months, the Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported. It was added that the penalties are more severe than those requested by the prosecutor's office.

The court found that the convicts were responsible for lowering the anchor, which was dragged along the seabed for 130 km and damaged two telecommunications cables leading to Estonia.

It was added that other cables and a gas pipeline were also at risk. The cables were damaged in the waters of Estonia's exclusive economic zone. The investigation was conducted in coordination with the authorities of that country. Both defendants pleaded not guilty.

The 130-meter merchant ship was sailing from St. Petersburg to the Israeli city of Haifa with a cargo of Russian steel. On December 31, 2025, Fitburg was intercepted in the waters of the Gulf of Finland by the Finnish services, which detained all 14 crew members and the ship itself. The unit sailed under the flag of the Caribbean country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Since 2022, a series of incidents have occurred in the Baltic Sea, involving damage to undersea energy and telecommunications infrastructure. According to many experts and politicians, these events may be acts of sabotage and part of a hybrid war waged by Russia against the West.

Finland is responding more and more decisively to these threats, commented Reuters. In September, approximately 300 Finnish border guards, soldiers and police officers practiced seizing a ship committing maritime sabotage in the Baltic Sea.