On November 5, 2026, the Helsinki District Court convicted Russian captain Andrei Maksimenko and Azerbaijani boatswain Vusal Majidov of aggravated sabotage for dragging the cargo ship Fitburg's anchor across 130 km of seabed, severing two Baltic telecommunications cables between Finland and Estonia. Maksimenko received three years and six months in prison, while Majidov was sentenced to two years and 10 months. The pair was ordered to pay approximately €1.9 million in damages.
Court rulings and prison sentences
- ▪The Helsinki District Court taken Russian captain Andrei Maksimenko and Azerbaijani boatswain Vusal Majidov into custody directly from the courtroom following their November 5, 2026 sentencing
- ▪The Helsinki District Court sentenced Russian captain Andrei Maksimenko to three years and six months in prison and Azerbaijani boatswain Vusal Majidov to two years and 10 months in prison
- ▪The Helsinki District Court convicted the captain and boatswain of the cargo ship Fitburg of aggravated sabotage on November 5, 2026, for intentionally damaging undersea telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland on December 31, 2025
- ▪The prison sentences handed down by the Helsinki District Court on November 5, 2026 were harsher than the terms of at least two and a half years sought by Finnish prosecutors
Financial damages and legal liability
- ▪The Helsinki District Court ordered Russian captain Andrei Maksimenko and Azerbaijani boatswain Vusal Majidov to jointly pay around €1.9 million ($2.1 million) in damages, with Maksimenko required to pay an additional €85,000
- ▪The Helsinki District Court ordered the convicted crew members of the cargo ship Fitburg to compensate affected companies for repairing telecommunications networks and a gas pipeline, as well as legal costs
Details of the anchor dragging incident
- ▪The Helsinki District Court established that the cargo ship Fitburg dragged its anchor shank and chain along the seabed for around 130 kilometers (81 miles), severing two underwater cables
- ▪The Helsinki District Court ruled that the cargo ship Fitburg's anchor dragging posed a direct threat to seven additional communication and electricity cables as well as an undersea gas pipeline
- ▪The Helsinki District Court found that the cargo ship Fitburg's anchor locking mechanism worked properly and the anchor was raised upon departure from St. Petersburg, concluding both defendants knew the anchor was dragging
District Court jurisdiction and charges
- ▪The Helsinki District Court asserted jurisdiction over the December 31, 2025 incident involving the cargo ship Fitburg because the intentional offences had consequences that manifested in Finland
- ▪The Helsinki District Court dismissed a charge of aggravated interference with telecommunications against Andrei Maksimenko and Vusal Majidov, ruling it was covered by aggravated sabotage
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