Estlink 2, a major undersea power cable between Finland and Estonia, was damaged on Christmas Day 2024 by a long scraping trace on the seabed, believed caused by the Russian shadow fleet oil tanker 'Eagle S' dragging its anchor. Finnish authorities stopped and seized the tanker near Porvoo and have launched a serious sabotage investigation. This incident is part of a series of recent undersea cable damages in the Baltic Sea region, including severed data cables between Germany-Finland and Lithuania-Sweden under suspicious circumstances. Baltic and Nordic NATO/EU members are boosting naval and security measures to protect critical energy infrastructures. Russia has not explicitly responded. The shadow fleet vessels, often registered in lax jurisdictions and used to evade western sanctions, present environmental and security threats as highlighted by EU officials. Undersea cables are buried 1.5 to 5 meters deep depending on location and are vital for modern society's power and communication needs. The incident highlights vulnerabilities exploited in hybrid warfare contexts in Northern Europe.

Estlink 2, a major undersea power cable between Finland and Estonia, was damaged on Christmas Day 2024 by a long scraping trace on the seabed, believed caused by the Russian shadow fleet oil tanker 'Eagle S' dragging its anchor. Finnish authorities stopped and seized the tanker near Porvoo and have launched a serious sabotage investigation. This incident is part of a series of recent undersea cable damages in the Baltic Sea region, including severed data cables between Germany-Finland and Lithuania-Sweden under suspicious circumstances. Baltic and Nordic NATO/EU members are boosting naval and security measures to protect critical energy infrastructures. Russia has not explicitly responded. The shadow fleet vessels, often registered in lax jurisdictions and used to evade western sanctions, present environmental and security threats as highlighted by EU officials. Undersea cables are buried 1.5 to 5 meters deep depending on location and are vital for modern society's power and communication needs. The incident highlights vulnerabilities exploited in hybrid warfare contexts in Northern Europe.