Finnish-Seized Shadow Fleet Captain Reportedly Linked to Iran–Russia Arms Shipments

Finland’s detention of the vessel FITBURG, part of Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers, over damage to an underwater telecommunications cable has drawn new scrutiny after investigators linked the ship’s captain to arms shipments between Iran and Russia, Ukrainian outlet Television Toronto reported on January 22.

According to Helsingin Sanomat, the captain is 56-year-old Andrey Maksymenko, a resident of the city of Astrakhan, originally from Russia’s Saratov region.

An OSINT investigation by Television Toronto found that from early 2022 to mid-2023, Maksymenko made at least 14 voyages between Russia and Iran aboard the vessel KALEVALA.

The ship regularly sailed between Astrakhan and the Iranian ports of Anzali, Amirabad, Nowshahr, and Fereydunkenar—all under EU sanctions for their role in transporting Iranian weapons and military technology.

Russian and Iranian vessels are also used to transport stolen Ukrainian grain and sanctioned Russian oil. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Agency (HUR) has previously identified 66 vessels operated by Russia, Iran, and Venezuela that are allegedly involved in transporting sanctioned oil and looted Ukrainian grain.

Until October 2019, KALEVALA sailed under the Russian flag and later switched to the Iranian flag. Data from the International Maritime Organization lists its operator as Salmi Shipmanagement LLC, a Russian company based in Astrakhan that has previously been cited by Ukraine’s military intelligence as being involved in arms deliveries to Russia, Television Toronto wrote.

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Earlier, a similar Iranian-flagged cargo vessel, Rona, which Western investigations have previously linked to maritime routes used for Iranian weapons deliveries to Russia, sent a distress signal while sinking in the Caspian Sea.

Finnish authorities have not officially confirmed whether Maksymenko is subject to travel restrictions in the cable damage investigation. Finland’s Central Criminal Police said only one of the 14 crew members—an Azerbaijani national serving as boatswain—has been taken into custody, while the captain’s status remains undisclosed, according to Helsingin Sanomat.

Previously, it was reported that Iran has provided Russia with missiles worth close to $3 billion to support Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.

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