Helsinki Court Dismisses Case Against Ship Crew Suspected of Cutting Baltic Sea Cables
The Helsinki District Court has dismissed a case against three members of a ship from Russia’s “shadow fleet” suspected of cutting Baltic Sea cables, citing lack of jurisdiction. The court ruled that the incident did not result in the kinds of consequences to Finland’s energy supply or telecommunications that are required to satisfy the statutory definition of criminal mischief or aggravated criminal mischief.
The case involved the captain, Davit Vadatchkoria of Georgia, and senior officers Robert Egizaryan, a Georgian, and Santosh Kumar Chaurasia from India, who were accused of neglecting their duties intentionally after leaving the Russian port of Ust-Luga. Prosecutors had argued that the crew must have been aware of the anchor dragging behind the vessel for several hours as it traveled 90 kilometers through the Gulf of Finland.
The court found that “the anchor loss was due to a failure of the anchor securing mechanism” and “should be classified as an incident of navigation within the meaning of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.” The court added that courts of the ship’s flag state or the defendants’ native states had criminal law competence in the matter.
The defendants, who testified before the court in August and September, denied the charges. They claimed the cables were severed accidentally, and that the ship slowed down due to engine problems and rough weather conditions. The captain, Vadatchkoria, told the court that there was no indication the anchor had fallen from the ship, stating “there was no reason to doubt that it was not in order.”
The prosecution, however, argued that the crew must have been aware of the anchor dragging behind the vessel. Prosecutor Mikko Larkia said at the start of the trial, “If a ship drags an anchor behind it for several hours for 90 kilometers, is it really possible that no one would notice?”
The incident occurred on December 25, 2024, when the EstLink 2 power cable and four telecommunications cables connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged. The suspected sabotage has been viewed by many experts and political leaders as part of a “hybrid war” carried out by Russia against Western countries.
The court’s decision to dismiss the case comes amid tensions mounting around the Baltic Sea since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The incident is one of several similar occurrences last year, with many undersea cables damaged or cut in the region.
Prosecution’s Case Against Ship Crew
Prosecutors had called for unconditional prison sentences of at least two-and-a-half years for the three defendants. They argued that the crew neglected their duties intentionally after leaving the Russian port of Ust-Luga, and that the anchor loss was not an accident but rather a deliberate act.
The prosecution claimed that the crew must have been aware of the anchor dragging behind the vessel, and that they failed to investigate the reason for the drop in speed and engine revolutions. According to prosecutors, this failure to investigate was “clearly caused by an external force that was affecting the ship.”
Defense’s Argument
The defense argued that Finland lacked jurisdiction because the cable cuts happened outside Finnish territorial waters. They claimed that the incident did not result in the kinds of consequences to Finland’s energy supply or telecommunications that are required to satisfy the statutory definition of criminal mischief or aggravated criminal mischief.
The defendants also denied the charges, claiming that the cables were severed accidentally and that the ship slowed down due to engine problems and rough weather conditions. The captain, Vadatchkoria, told the court that there was no indication the anchor had fallen from the ship, stating “there was no reason to doubt that it was not in order.”
Court’s Ruling
The Helsinki District Court ruled that the incident did not result in the kinds of consequences to Finland’s energy supply or telecommunications that are required to satisfy the statutory definition of criminal mischief or aggravated criminal mischief. The court also found that courts of the ship’s flag state or the defendants’ native states had criminal law competence in the matter.
The court revoked the suspects’ travel bans in place since December 2024, and the case was dismissed.
Original Article: Finland Dismisses Case Over Baltic Cable Cuts — Themoscowtimes