Finland Seizes Vessel Suspected of Damaging Undersea Telecom Cable in Gulf of Finland

• Finnish police seized the cargo vessel Fitburg, flagged St Vincent and Grenadines, suspected of damaging an undersea telecom cable in the Gulf of Finland.
• The cable, owned by Elisa and connecting Helsinki and Tallinn, was damaged in Estonia's exclusive economic zone; Elisa's services were rerouted and unaffected.
• Police located the Fitburg with its anchor chain lowered, investigating the incident as aggravated criminal damage, though an accident is not ruled out.
• The incident raises concerns about "hybrid war" tactics, following other recent infrastructure damage in the Baltic Sea since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• Finnish President Alexander Stubb affirmed Finland's preparedness for security challenges, while a previous similar case lacked Finnish court jurisdiction.

Why It Matters: Finland investigates a seized vessel for undersea cable damage, raising hybrid warfare concerns.