& Nbspgavin Blackburn
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On Monday, the authorities of Finland announced that they accused the captain and two senior officers of the ship associated with Russia, and allegedly damaged by underwater cables connecting Finland with Estonia.
The Deputy Prosecutor General of the Finnish language stated in his statement that the charges of outstanding criminal damage and outstanding interventions in connection with the captain and the first and second officer of Orel S.
Their names were not released. The announcement says that men denied the accusations.
The authorities said that the ship dragged its anchor to damage the Estlink-2 electric cable and the connections between Finland and Estonia on December 25.
The Kremlin previously refused to participate in the destruction of infrastructure, which provides electricity and communication for thousands of Europeans.
Eagle S has a flag of the Cook Islands, but was described by Finnish customs officials and the Executive Committee of the European Union as part of the Russian Family Fleet shadow fleet.
These are aging vessels with unclear possession that were acquired to avoid Western sanctions imposed after a complete invasion of Ukraine and are operated without insurance regulated by the West.
For the West, these incidents are believed to be part of the extensive attacks of sabotage in Europe, allegedly related to Moscow.
Underwater cables and pipelines crossing one of the most lively sea roads in Europe connect countries of Scandinavia, Baltic and Central Europe.
They contribute to trade, energy security and, in some cases, reduce dependence on Russian energy resources.
The announcement on Monday says that “an eagle, as a result of which the Russian loud lug with a load of oil is suspected that he reduced five underwater cables in Finland, delaying his anchor below about 90 kilometers.”
Prosecutors said that cable owners suffered a total of at least 60 million euros in the form of repair expenses.
“The opening of electricity and telecommunications cables with very high transport capacity also caused a serious risk for energy supply and telecommunications in Finland, although services can be guaranteed using alternatives,” the statement said.
The defendants are added “they believe that in Finland there is no jurisdiction in this case, since the positions of damage to the cable are outside the Finnish territorial waters.”
The damage to Estlink 2, which can provide about half the needs of Estonia in electricity in winter, did not interrupt the services, although this led to an increase in energy prices in the Baltic countries.
The cable is about 145 kilometers long and reaches 90 meters at the deepest point.
More sources • AP.