A captain from Russia was sentenced to prison in Finland for damaging cables at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland 18+. This material (information) is produced, distributed and (or) sent by a foreign agent of the Internet publication "NOVAYA GAZETA" or relates to the activities of a foreign agent of the online publication "NOVAYA GAZETA". The District Court in Helsinki sentenced Andrey Maksimenko, the owner of the cargo ship Pitburg, to 3.5 years in prison in a case that involved damage to cables in the Gulf of Finland, writes Yle. The sailor of the ship, citizen of Azerbaijan Vasal Majidov, was sentenced to 2 years and 10 months in prison. Both were found guilty of causing serious damage, and were also charged with the costs of repairing cables, gas pipes and the cost of investigating the damage. At the same time, the court dismissed the communication violation charge as a separate point. He decided that this violation was already taken into account as part of the crime for which the captain and sailor were found guilty, Yale notes. Pittsburg under the flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines sailed from St. Petersburg to Israel. According to the court, on December 31, he traveled about 130 km with the anchor lowered, dragged it along the seabed, and ran into nine communication cables and a gas pipe. Two cables were damaged. In the past two years, ships have often damaged cables laid in the North Sea. In November 2024, a Chinese cargo ship is suspected of damaging communication cables between Finland and Germany, and then Lithuania and Sweden. In the winter of 2025, it is suspected that the ship Silver Dania, sailing from St. Petersburg to Murmansk, caused damage to the cable between Latvia and Sweden.

A captain from Russia was sentenced to prison in Finland for damaging cables at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland 18+. This material (information) is produced, distributed and (or) sent by a foreign agent of the Internet publication "NOVAYA GAZETA" or relates to the activities of a foreign agent of the online publication "NOVAYA GAZETA". The District Court in Helsinki sentenced Andrey Maksimenko, the owner of the cargo ship Pitburg, to 3.5 years in prison in a case that involved damage to cables in the Gulf of Finland, writes Yle. The sailor of the ship, citizen of Azerbaijan Vasal Majidov, was sentenced to 2 years and 10 months in prison. Both were found guilty of causing serious damage, and were also charged with the costs of repairing cables, gas pipes and the cost of investigating the damage. At the same time, the court dismissed the communication violation charge as a separate point. He decided that this violation was already taken into account as part of the crime for which the captain and sailor were found guilty, Yale notes. Pittsburg under the flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines sailed from St. Petersburg to Israel. According to the court, on December 31, he traveled about 130 km with the anchor lowered, dragged it along the seabed, and ran into nine communication cables and a gas pipe. Two cables were damaged. In the past two years, ships have often damaged cables laid in the North Sea. In November 2024, a Chinese cargo ship is suspected of damaging communication cables between Finland and Germany, and then Lithuania and Sweden. In the winter of 2025, it is suspected that the ship Silver Dania, sailing from St. Petersburg to Murmansk, caused damage to the cable between Latvia and Sweden.