The Baltic Sea continues to simmer, and Russia’s actions there (and elsewhere) have been described by NATO as hybrid warfare. On Christmas Day, the Eagle S, a Cook Island-flagged freighter with a Georgian and Indian crew, who had previously been identified as part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and used to transport petroleum, revealed its nefarious mission by dragging its anchor and cutting not only the telecommunications connectivity between Finland and Estonia, but also the electric power cable(s).
It was just over a month ago when a Chinese freighter was found to have cut underwater telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea. European intelligence sharing has been proactive, issuing warnings about the “potential” for Russian sabotage of various energy resources, such as power cables, wind turbines, and gas pipelines. Indeed, in May 2024, NATO issued a statement that specifically called out “Russia continues to carry out across the Euro-Atlantic area, including on Alliance territory and through proxies. This includes sabotage, acts of violence, cyber and electronic interference, disinformation campaigns, and other hybrid operations. NATO Allies express their deep concern over Russia’s hybrid actions, which constitute a threat to Allied security.”
Eagle S
Between 1230 and 1300 hours the Estlink2 cable (providing electricity to Estonia) and the hours later multiple telecommunications cables were severed. The charting of the Eagle S showed it altering its course and doing a complete loop and noticeably slowed down while passing over the cables.
Finnish media has been providing a non-stop, detailed peek into Finland’s resolve and backbone when it comes to dealing with Russia. The Finnish Border Guard dispatched one of its three patrol vessels, the Turva, at around 1830 hours to intercept the Eagle S which was in Finland’s territorial waters. Just after midnight on January 26, armed Finnish police and border guards took control of the ship when their teams rappelled down from Finnish Border Guard and Defense Force helicopters. The ship was inspected and found to have hundreds of meters of anchor cable deployed and, when hoisted, was missing its anchor.
In addition, according to Sami Paila, the lead for the Finnish underwater investigation shared how the vessel had left an eastward trail of several dozen kilometers, described as a “dragging track” on the seabed.
The Finnish investigators have levied three charges:
- Gross interference with telecommunications
- Aggravated gross sabotage
- Gross regulatory violations
Russian Signals Intelligence
Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation initiated its investigation and took control of a number of pieces of electronics from the ship. These included not only items related to the navigation of the vessel but also items that one would not normally find on an oil tanker. According to Lloyd’s List, who cited an individual with direct involvement with the ship, these electronics were identified as a Russian signals intelligence package. The SIGINT package included numerous suitcases of electronics and “many laptops” capable of monitoring and sharing intercepts of naval communications and activity.
The NBI has identified seven individuals on board the Eagle S as “suspects.” Detective Chief Inspector Elina Katajamäki noted that the number may change as the criminal investigation continues.
Russia targeting Baltic energy and telecommunications target
The resolve of Finland is clear; Finnish President Alexander Stubb removed all doubt when, on 27 December, he said, “We’ve got the situation under control, and we have to continue to work together vigilantly to make sure that our critical infrastructure is not damaged by outsiders.” As Russia sees its export of energy products being diminished with the closure of the export lanes via Ukraine occurring at the start of the new year. The Voice of America noted that these actions by Russia “makes clear Russia’s intent to severely cut off Estonia and other Baltic States from the energy and telecommunications support provided via Finland. ”
Estonia’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur made clear that it is going to protect the remaining power cable between Estonia and Finland and has dispatched naval patrols to protect the undersea cables. NATO’s chief, Mark Rutte, expressed the alliance’s intent to fully support the NATO members and enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea.”
