Finnish court sentences captain and boatswain of ship that damaged underwater cables to prison

In December 2025, a Finnish court handed down prison sentences to the captain and boatswain of the cargo ship Fitburg, after they were found guilty of damaging underwater cables in the Gulf of Finland. Captain Andrei Maksimenko, a Russian national, was given a three and a half year prison term, while his Azerbaijani boatswain, Vusal Mejidov, received a two year and ten month sentence.

Both were convicted of aggravated criminal damage and must also pay for repairing the cables, the gas pipeline, and the costs of the investigation into the incident. The verdict is not yet final and could be appealed, as the two men maintained their innocence. The Fitburg was initially detained on December 31, 2025, on suspicion of severing a telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn.

The vessel was found near the incident site with its anchor chain submerged. Two weeks later, authorities lifted the arrest but ordered the crew members, including the captain and boatswain, to remain in custody throughout the investigation. A Russian tugboat, Sarmat, remained nearby for nearly a week, operating with specialized equipment to protect critical underwater cables off the coast of Denmark.