Finland said drag marks from an anchor have been found on the Baltic Sea floor in an area where several power and data cables were damaged, which authorities suspect was caused by a vessel linked to Russia's "shadow fleet."
"Our current understanding is that the drag mark in question is that of the anchor of the (seized) Eagle S vessel. We have been able to clarify this matter through underwater research," said Sami Paila, the chief investigator for Finnish police in the case.
He added that the trail created by the anchor ran "dozens" of kilometers.
Finland seized the Eagle S on December 26, citing suspicions that it caused an outage of the Estlink 2 undersea power cable and damaged four Internet lines. Finnish investigators said the ship may have caused the damage by dragging its anchor along the sea floor.
Finnish and EU officials say the Eagle S is believed to belong to a "shadow fleet" of old, uninsured oil vessels used to bypass Western sanctions and maintain a source of revenue for Russia's economy and its war against Ukraine.
The poor condition of these ships has also raised concerns about environmental disasters.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has described the suspected sabotage of a Baltic Sea power cable as a "wake-up call" for the West and urged the European Union to impose new sanctions targeting Russia's "shadow fleet."
SEE ALSO: Danish Military Keeps Watch On Chinese Ship Suspected Of Baltic Cable SabotageKaja Kallas, a former Estonian prime minister who is now the EU's top diplomat, said on December 30 that "sabotage in Europe has increased" since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In an interview with the German newspaper Welt, she said recent "sabotage attempts in the Baltic Sea are not isolated incidents" but "part of a pattern of deliberate and coordinated actions to damage our digital and energy infrastructure."
Though the investigation continues, a media outlet focusing on shipping news and intelligence reported that the ship suspected of damaging the cable linking Finland and Estonia on December 25 was equipped with "special transmitting and receiving devices that were used to monitor naval activity."
The Eagle S "had transmitting and receiving devices installed that effectively allowed it to become a 'spy ship' for Russia," Lloyd's List reported on December 27, citing "a source familiar with the vessel who provided commercial maritime services to it as recently as seven months ago."
Baerbock has reiterated the need for "new European sanctions against the Russian shadow fleet," which she said is "a major threat to our environment and security" used by Russia "to finance its war of aggression in Ukraine."
"Almost every month, ships are damaging major undersea cables in the Baltic Sea," Baerbock said in a statement to the Funke media group.
"Crews are leaving anchors in the water, dragging them for kilometers along the seafloor for no apparent reason, and then losing them when pulling them up."
"It's more than difficult to still believe in coincidences," she said. "This is an urgent wake-up call for all of us."