Estlink 2 (Finland–Estonia) - Cable Damage

On 25 December 2024, the Estlink 2 submarine power interconnector linking Finland and Estonia across the Gulf of Finland failed, cutting cross-border transmission capacity from 1,016 MW to 358 MW. The fault occurred in Finland's exclusive economic zone roughly 55 km south of Loviisa. The same day, several telecommunications cables in the area were also disrupted, including two cables operated by Elisa that were fully severed, with repairs completed in early January 2025.

Finnish authorities boarded and seized the Cook Islands–flagged oil tanker Eagle S, which had been carrying a cargo of fuel from the Russian port of Ust-Luga and is widely described by Finnish and EU officials as part of Russia's sanctions-evading shadow fleet. According to Reuters, investigators found drag marks on the seabed consistent with anchor-dragging, and Finnish police said their understanding was that the marks were made by the Eagle S's anchor, traced through underwater research. Investigators concluded the vessel had dragged its anchor across the seabed over a span of tens of kilometres. The anchor was recovered in January 2025. Police treated the case as aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with telecommunications, and prosecutors later charged the captain and two senior officers, though in October 2025 the Helsinki District Court dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds, a ruling that could be appealed.

The damage is investigated as suspected sabotage, with Finnish authorities pointing to the Eagle S's anchor as the likely cause via dragging. It is unresolved whether the act was deliberate or grossly negligent; the captain characterised the anchor damage as accidental. The incident fits a broader pattern of suspicious Baltic Sea cable and pipeline breaks involving shadow-fleet vessels linked to Russian trade, which prompted NATO to launch its Baltic Sentry monitoring mission. The October 2025 jurisdictional dismissal left the criminal question legally unresolved.