A Helsinki court on Thursday sentenced the Russian captain and Azerbaijani boatswain of the cargo ship Fitburg to prison for deliberately damaging undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland.

The court sentenced captain Andrei Maksimenko, a Russian citizen, to three years and six months in prison, and boatswain Vusal Majidov, an Azerbaijani citizen, to two years and ten months. Both were found guilty of aggravated criminal damage.

The Fitburg damaged two telecommunications cables between Finland and Estonia on Dec. 31, 2025, while sailing from St. Petersburg to Israel under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The court found the defendants acted deliberately, noting the ship dragged its anchor along the seabed for about 130 kilometers, damaging two cables and attempting to damage eight more.

Finnish authorities detained the vessel on Dec. 31, 2025, finding it near the incident site with its anchor chain lowered into the water. The ship was released on Jan. 12, but the captain and boatswain remained in custody during the investigation.

The Helsinki District Court ruled that Finland had jurisdiction because the offences were intentional and had consequences affecting Finland. The court dismissed a separate charge of interference with telecommunications, ruling it was covered by the criminal damage charge.

Both men were ordered to jointly pay about 1.9 million euros in damages, and Maksimenko was ordered to pay an additional 85,000 euros. The sentences exceed the minimum of two and a half years sought by prosecutors.

The verdict has not yet entered into force and may be appealed. Maksimenko pleaded not guilty and plans to appeal, while Majidov has not decided, according to their lawyers. A representative of the Russian embassy attended the trial.

Three crew members of the Eagle S tanker were tried in 2025 for damaging five undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland on Dec. 25, 2024. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, numerous experts and political leaders have characterized such incidents as possible Russian hybrid actions.