MOSCOW, January 28. /TASS/. Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev sees the detention of the Eagle S tanker by Finnish coastal guards in the Baltic Sea as an act of piracy.
"The Eagle S’ seizure in the Baltic Sea under an invented pretext cannot be called anything but modern-day piracy," Patrushev, who is also chairman of Russia’s Maritime Board, said in an interview with the Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
On December 25, 2024, the EstLink 2 power cable connecting Finland’s energy grid with Estonia across the bottom of the Gulf of Finland was suddenly disabled. Finland’s police and border guards detained the Cook Islands-flagged oil tanker Eagle S on suspicion of being involved in the accident. Later, the Postimees newspaper reported damage to three cables between the two countries, citing several Estonian companies.
Patrushev also recalled that several more incidents of underwater cables being damaged occurred in January. The West, using baseless accusations of Russia’s involvement as a pretext, increased its military presence in the Baltic Sea.