Russian cargo ship captain gets 3.5 years in prison for anchor The District Court in Helsinki found the captain and the ship of the Russian saber company Pitsburg Andrei Maksimenko guilty of damaging submarine cables in the Gulf of Finland. Pitburg (carrying cargo 132.2 meters long) sailed from St. Petersburg to Israel under the flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and dragged her anchor chain and fastening along the seabed for about 130 km, damaging two underwater communication cables. Finnish authorities detained the ship immediately after the incident, on December 31, 2025, but released it in January. And the Russian captain Andrey Maksimenko and the Azerbaijani sailor Vassal Maghidov remained in custody. Therefore, the court considered that the captain and the site knew that the anchor had been lowered. The captain received 3 years and 6 months in prison, the sailor received 2 years and 10 months. They must also pay compensation for repairing the cables and reimburse the costs of the investigation. The defendants deny that they knew about the lowered anchor and do not admit guilt. The verdict has not yet entered into legal force and can be challenged before the appeals court. Charge flow in Telegram | up to MAX.

Russian cargo ship captain gets 3.5 years in prison for anchor The District Court in Helsinki found the captain and the ship of the Russian saber company Pitsburg Andrei Maksimenko guilty of damaging submarine cables in the Gulf of Finland. Pitburg (carrying cargo 132.2 meters long) sailed from St. Petersburg to Israel under the flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and dragged her anchor chain and fastening along the seabed for about 130 km, damaging two underwater communication cables. Finnish authorities detained the ship immediately after the incident, on December 31, 2025, but released it in January. And the Russian captain Andrey Maksimenko and the Azerbaijani sailor Vassal Maghidov remained in custody. Therefore, the court considered that the captain and the site knew that the anchor had been lowered. The captain received 3 years and 6 months in prison, the sailor received 2 years and 10 months. They must also pay compensation for repairing the cables and reimburse the costs of the investigation. The defendants deny that they knew about the lowered anchor and do not admit guilt. The verdict has not yet entered into legal force and can be challenged before the appeals court. Charge flow in Telegram | up to MAX.