Finnish police suspect that an electric cable in the Baltic Sea was damaged by an anchor.

The Finnish police have discovered traces on the bottom of the Baltic Sea extending for dozens of kilometers. It is believed that a tanker carrying Russian oil severed an electric power line and four telecommunications cables with its anchor.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Reuters.

It is noted that on Wednesday, December 25, news emerged regarding the damage to the 658-megawatt (MW) underwater cable Estlink 2, which connects Finland and Estonia. Currently, only the 358-megawatt Estlink 1 remains operational between the two countries. According to energy system operators, Estlink 2 may not be operational until August 2025.

The day after the incident, Finnish police and coast guard officials boarded the vessel Eagle S, which is registered in the Cook Islands. Afterward, it proceeded to Finnish waters, where the crew of the detained tanker was interrogated.

The police suspect that the damage was caused by this vessel dragging its anchor along the seabed. In particular, investigators found a "dragging trace" but have not yet located the missing anchor. According to Sami Paila, tactical leader and chief inspector of the National Bureau of Investigation of Finland, the trace extends for dozens of kilometers.

Photographs of the Eagle S taken on Friday show that the vessel is missing its anchor on the port side.

The Finnish customs service believes that this ship is part of a "shadow fleet" of outdated tankers used to circumvent sanctions on the export of Russian oil.

The Kremlin stated on Friday that the seizure of the vessel by Finland does not particularly concern Moscow. Russia also denies any involvement in previous incidents that have caused damage to infrastructure in the Baltic states.

It is worth noting that according to Yle, Finland's interception of the Russian shadow tanker prevented several more serious acts of sabotage. Otherwise, the vessel could have continued to damage underwater communications.