A Russian cable has been damaged in the exclusive economic zone of Finland in the Finnish Gulf, according to a report by the Finnish Coast Guard on social media platform X. The statement read: “The Coast Guard of the Finnish Gulf is monitoring the implementation of the Act on the Exclusive Economic Zone and the approach to the use of the Exclusive Economic Zone in the Finnish Gulf, where a Russian ship is currently repairing a damaged Russian cable.”
In a statement to news portal Yle, the Coast Guard’s command center reported that “the repair work has begun today and the patrol ship Turva is on site.”
According to the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, the damage to the Russian cable “occurred some time ago.” Mikko Hirvi, the deputy commander of the Finnish Coast Guard, stated that they would rather obtain details about the cable from the Russian authorities or the cable’s owners. He added, “We have normal contact with Russia in everyday and practical matters.”
Ilja Iljin, the deputy commander of the Russian Coast Guard in the Finnish Gulf, told Yle that the Russian side had reported the incident in a timely manner. The notification, according to Iljin, was in compliance with the conditions of the permit for work in Finland’s exclusive economic zone.
The repair of the Russian cable is a permitted activity, confirmed the head of the Finnish Coast Guard, Matti Niittymäki. He also declined to provide further information about the cable in question.
Later, the Russian telecommunications company Rostelecom stated that it was their cable that had been damaged and that their subscribers were not affected by the incident.