Russian-linked ships are suspected of sabotage in the Baltic Sea. Some say it may be just the beginning

Finland says it has found more than two dozen serious deficiencies aboard the impounded Eagle S, a ship that was carrying Russian oil and is accused of deliberately dragging its anchor in the Baltic Sea on Dec. 25, damaging an underwater power line and four telecommunication cables. 

On Tuesday, Finnish police said they recovered an anchor from the seabed, which was found along the route of the Eagle S. Finnish officials believe the underwater cables, which run between Finland and Estonia and are reinforced with steel and several layers of protective insulation, were torn apart by a strong external force.

The ship is owned by Caravella LLC FZ, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, and eight crew members are now under investigation. 

Suspected of being part of Russia's "shadow fleet", which Moscow uses to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil, the ship was seized by Finnish authorities as part of a criminal investigation. The country's public transport agency now says the vessel is forbidden from operating again until 32 issues are fixed.

"At least it won't sail for a long time. And that in itself is, I think, a smart move," Edward Hunter Christie, a senior research fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told CBC News.

The incident involving the Eagle S is the third case of damage to critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea in just over a month. One maritime risk expert says it points to a dangerous precedent that could have been predicted by a spike in suspicious behaviour by Russian-linked vessels in the area.

It is expected to take up to seven months to repair the 170-kilometre Estlink 2 power line, and electricity prices could rise over the winter in Estonia. The country has sent a patrol ship to help protect Estlink1, its other underwater power link to the Gulf of Finland.

Amid suspicious sabotage, NATO has vowed to step up its presence in the region, and the U.K. has activated a new alert system, which uses artificial intelligence to track and warn about potential maritime threats.

Hunter Christie said that when he worked for NATO prior to 2020, there was discussion that underwater infrastructure could be targeted, but the talks were theoretical. 

He says Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 changed that.

"I don't think many serious people would doubt that this was ordered by the Russian state," said Hunter Christie. "The official declarations might be slightly more cautious. But I think behind closed doors, nobody has any doubts as to the nature of this incident."

Moscow has said the seizure of the Eagle S is not a matter for Russia. But Alexander Kazakov, a Russian MP, told a state media program on Dec. 27 that "Russia's goal is to liberate the Baltic Sea."

While he didn't specifically say Russia was behind the damage to the cables, he told the program it was a response to actions taken by Ukraine and its Western allies. 

"We are provoking them into an escalation of a situation in the Baltic Sea ... so that we have something to respond to."