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Finland Charges Russian-Linked Tanker Crew in NATO’s First Baltic Sabotage Prosecution
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![Photo of Roman Kohanets]( "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
Finland has charged the captain and crew of the Russian-linked oil tanker Eagle S with aggravated vandalism and aggravated interference with telecommunications, marking the first criminal case in a NATO country over recent sabotage in the Baltic Sea. The case was announced on August 11, 2025, and was reported by the Financial Times on the same day.
According to Finnish authorities, the Eagle S dragged its anchor for nearly 100 kilometers in December 2024, severing five electricity and telecommunications cables between NATO countries.
The vessel, flagged in the Cook Islands and transporting oil from Russia to Egypt, was boarded and seized by Finnish coastguard forces, including special border guard troops who abseiled from a helicopter.
The captain, first officer, and second officer—nationals of Georgia and India—were initially detained but later released on condition they remained in Finland. They deny the charges and dispute Finnish jurisdiction, arguing the damage took place in international waters. If convicted, they face up to 13 years in prison.
The Eagle S, considered part of Russia’s shadow fleet for its role in moving Russian oil under obscured ownership and without Western insurance, was added to the EU sanctions list in May 2025. Finnish officials allowed the vessel to depart in March.
While some Baltic Sea politicians suspect a coordinated Russian effort, others attribute the incidents to poor seamanship and substandard vessel maintenance.
NATO members are reviewing their legal frameworks to detain ships involved in suspected sabotage after incidents such as the Yi Peng 3, a Chinese vessel accused of severing two cables in November 2024, which ignored Swedish inspection requests and left the area.
Earlier, it was reported that Finnish criminal investigators seized the oil tanker Eagle S, a vessel believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” and escorted it to the port of Porvoo to conduct a technical investigation into possible involvement in damage to the Estlink 2 undersea power cable and other submarine infrastructure.
