The vessel named Fitburg was heading from St. Petersburg to Haifa. Border guards boarded the ship around 11 a.m., approximately six hours after the first notification of cable damage. There were 14 crew members on board, including citizens of Russia. According to police information, the ship was recorded with its anchor down. A helicopter, as reported by Heikki Kopperoine, the deputy chief of police in Helsinki, observed that the vessel was dragging its anchor along the seabed. He emphasized that it is premature to draw conclusions at this time about whether this was a deliberate act or an accident. Investigative authorities announced the interrogation of the crew, which includes sailors from Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. The ship, registered under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was directed to a port near Helsinki. At the time of detention, it was located in Finland's exclusive economic zone. Finnish police have initiated a preliminary investigation on charges of serious property damage and interference with telecommunications operations. The damaged cables, which belong to the Finnish operator Elisa and the Swedish company Arelion, are located in the Gulf of Finland between Finland and Estonia. Communication has been rerouted through alternative routes. Today, Finnish customs officials also reported that the vessel was carrying Russian steel, which is subject to European Union sanctions.
