Is it possible for the crew of an oil tanker not to notice the loss of one of its anchors in open sea and fail to react, even as it drags along the seabed for 90 kilometers, destroying everything in its path? The question was at the heart of the trial that opened on Monday, August 25, at the Helsinki District Court. Three sailors from the Eagle S, including the ship's captain, are accused of causing the rupture of four communication cables and one power cable between Finland and Estonia on December 25, 2024. They are now standing trial for "aggravated criminal damage and aggravated interference with communications."

At the time, Finland's swift response drew praise from European leaders. Just hours after the five cables broke, Finnish coast guards boarded the vessel, which was suspected to be part of the Russian "shadow fleet" used to circumvent Western sanctions. The Eagle S – flying the Cook Islands flag – departed from the Russian port of Ust-Luga and was carrying 35,000 metric tons of gasoline, bound for Egypt. It was then escorted to a small port east of Helsinki.

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