Finnish police have arrested two crew members of a cargo ship suspected of severing Finnish telecommunications operator Elisa’s undersea data cable in the Gulf of Finland, YLE reports. In addition, two more crew members were issued with travel bans. Three informed sources told Helsingin Sanomat that there was no indication of Russian involvement in the incident at this point. Two of Swedish telecommunications company Arelion’s undersea data cables were damaged at the same time as well, TT reported.
The cargo vessel, Fitburg, has been moored to the small Finnish port of Kantvik, YLE reports. The ship was carrying structural steel, which is subject to EU sanctions, from Russia to Israel, YLE reported. The vessel is operated by one of Turkey’s largest shipping companies, Albros Shipping & Trading Company, which is majority owned by Azerbaijani businessman Raim Alekperov, ERR reports. The company owns and operates several cargo ships and tankers in the Russian, Azerbaijani, and Turkish markets.