Eagle S, suspected of being used to damage undersea cables in the Gulf

of Finland, has been located and retrieved from the seabed. This follows

the seizure by police in Finland of the Russian-linked dark fleet

tanker Eagle S.

This is the first time a ship suspected of sabotaging undersea

infrastructure has been taken into custody by authorities, according to

Estonia Prime Minister Kristen Michal. Estonia Foreign Minister Margus

Tsahkna said the damage to undersea infrastructure was not a

coincidence. “They have become systematic, and we must consider them an

attack on our infrastructure,” he said. The Finnish customs service

believes the Eagle S is part of a shadow fleet of ageing tankers being

used to evade sanctions on the sale of Russian oil.

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Here are some interesting points about the seizure of the vessel, made

by expert Robin Häggblom on Twitter last week.

1) Finnish Defence Forces involvement seems to have been limited. It was

the Finnish Border Guard's flagship that shadowed the tanker and caught

it in the act, According to Robin this was largely handled by the

ministry of the Interior and Law Enforcement, rather than obvious

military forces units.

2) The Police told a reporter they don't plan on contacting the Russian

authorities. This was a strong and correct gesture of contempt for

Russia and its actions. But Robin notes that it may also mark an end to

the process of soft appeasement of Russia known as Finlandization, where

the USSR and Russia was given special consideration compared to other

states.

3) If the Russians have been foolish enough to use shadow fleet vessels

as SIGINT platforms, for monitoring and intelligence operations, then we

may expect must closer tracking of their grey fleet by NATO powers, and

potentially more interventions. The shadow fleet-concept, notes Robin,

rests on the right of innocent passage, while intelligence gathering

specifically is mentioned as *not* being part of that under UNCLOS

Article 19, 2. If there is reason to suspect innocent passage isn't

adhered to, it can up new legal actions, which the Western allies have

been loath to adopt until now.

4) The operation is typical for how Finland handles hybrid operations.

Everything is done according to the book and within a clear legal

framework. But the signalling around this operation appears to be

unusually strong, which may be intended as a clear message to Russia.

More of a show of force than was necessary may indicate that Finland and

other countries’ patience with Russia’s illegal, aggressive and risky

actions does have limits.

More on this story in forthcoming episodes with experts Elizabeth Braw

and Jerry Hendrix.

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NEWS SOURCES:

https://yle.fi/a/74-20135216

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/finland-court-rejects-owners-request-release-oil-tanker-2025-01-03/

https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1151950/Finland-police-seize-Russian-linked-dark-fleet-tanker-Eagle-S-in-cable-cutting-investigation

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