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Signal
Submitted
Feb 13, 2026, 19:25 UTC
The Estlink 2 electricity cable between Finland and Estonia failed on December 25, 2024, disrupting power to Estonia. Investigations include potential involvement of foreign ships in the area. Sabotage is not ruled out but similar faults have occurred before. Finland’s power supply is unaffected.
At 12:26 PM on December 25, 2024, Fingrid detected a fault in the Estlink 2 submarine power cable connecting Finland and Estonia, which caused an interruption in electricity flow between the two countries. The cable had a capacity of 658 MW. Finnish police and border guard immediately opened an investigation, including examining whether foreign ships caused the disruption. Two ships, the oil tanker Eagle S (Cook Islands flag) and the container ship Xin Xin Tian 2 (Hong Kong flag), were in the area around the time of the fault; Eagle S notably slowed its speed near the cable, and border guards escorted it to waters outside Porkkala. Estlink 2’s outage affected Estonia's electricity supply, which is being compensated by other sources in Europe. Finland was unaffected due to the operation of a smaller cable, Estlink 1. Fingrid noted that such outages happen about ten times a year and emphasized the need for backup sources. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo confirmed the ongoing investigation and assured Finnish electricity supply is stable. The Estonian public broadcaster ERR confirmed Estlink 2 had been out of operation much of the year due to maintenance.
Confidence: High
The disruption of a critical international power cable with concurrent presence of foreign ships and official investigation into possible sabotage strongly indicates hostile hybrid-attack behavior aimed at critical infrastructure.
Source URL
https://yle.fi/a/7-10069696
Published as a hybrid-warfare signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.
{
"id": "96ca04fa-a3d3-4cd1-99d1-c42090560edd",
"url": "https://yle.fi/a/7-10069696",
"source": "csv-import",
"status": "approved",
"category": "Energy & Infrastructure Attacks",
"subcategory": "Critical Infrastructure Sabotage",
"incident_type": "Power grids, pipelines",
"country": "Finland",
"source_reliability": "C",
"info_credibility": "3",
"tags": [
"Estlink 2",
"electricity cable",
"Finland",
"Estonia",
"sabotage investigation",
"eagle s tanker",
"container ship Xin Xin Tian 2",
"critical infrastructure",
"power disruption",
"Gulf of Finland"
],
"nodes": [
"Node 1: Borders"
],
"countries": [
"Finland",
"Estonia"
],
"where_text": "Maritime",
"headline": null,
"description": "On December 25, 2024, the Estlink 2 electricity cable between Finland and Estonia suffered a failure that disrupted power transmission from Finland to Estonia. The issue was detected by Fingrid at 12:26 UTC on Christmas day. Authorities, including the Finnish police and Border Guard, are investigating the incident and examining whether foreign cargo ships, including the oil tanker Eagle S and the Hong Kong-flagged container ship Xin Xin Tian 2, which were in the vicinity at the time, may be connected to the disruption. Fingrid has not ruled out sabotage but emphasizes similar cable faults have occurred several times this year. The smaller Estlink 1 cable remains operational. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stated the incident does not impact electricity supply in Finland. Estlink 2 is critical for the European power system and currently the Estonian side is affected while power is rerouted from other sources.",
"summary_short": "The Estlink 2 electricity cable between Finland and Estonia failed on December 25, 2024, disrupting power to Estonia. Investigations include potential involvement of foreign ships in the area. Sabotage is not ruled out but similar faults have occurred before. Finland’s power supply is unaffected.",
"summary_extended": "At 12:26 PM on December 25, 2024, Fingrid detected a fault in the Estlink 2 submarine power cable connecting Finland and Estonia, which caused an interruption in electricity flow between the two countries. The cable had a capacity of 658 MW. Finnish police and border guard immediately opened an investigation, including examining whether foreign ships caused the disruption. Two ships, the oil tanker Eagle S (Cook Islands flag) and the container ship Xin Xin Tian 2 (Hong Kong flag), were in the area around the time of the fault; Eagle S notably slowed its speed near the cable, and border guards escorted it to waters outside Porkkala. Estlink 2’s outage affected Estonia's electricity supply, which is being compensated by other sources in Europe. Finland was unaffected due to the operation of a smaller cable, Estlink 1. Fingrid noted that such outages happen about ten times a year and emphasized the need for backup sources. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo confirmed the ongoing investigation and assured Finnish electricity supply is stable. The Estonian public broadcaster ERR confirmed Estlink 2 had been out of operation much of the year due to maintenance.",
"actor_primary": "Finnish police and Border Guard",
"target_primary": null,
"location_text": "Estlink 2 electricity cable route between Finland and Estonia in the Gulf of Finland, east of Helsinki and Tallinn",
"location_region": "Gulf of Finland",
"location_coordinates_lat": 59.75,
"location_coordinates_lon": 25.75,
"location_precision": "Exact",
"is_aggressor_signal": true,
"signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
"is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
"classification_complete": true,
"hybrid_signal_complete": true,
"classification_confidence": "High",
"classification_rationale": "The disruption of a critical international power cable with concurrent presence of foreign ships and official investigation into possible sabotage strongly indicates hostile hybrid-attack behavior aimed at critical infrastructure.",
"event_time_utc": "2024-12-25T12:26:00.000Z",
"end_time_utc": null,
"event_time_confidence": "exact",
"created_at": "2026-02-13T19:25:07.904Z",
"updated_at": "2026-11-08T20:52:18.396Z",
"reliability_band": "strong",
"location_precision_band": "exact",
"time_precision_band": "exact",
"severity_band": "moderate",
"attribution_confidence_band": "high",
"attribution_basis": "single_source"
}Source reliability
C
Info credibility
3
Event time
Dec 25, 2024, 12:26 UTC
Event time confidence
exact
Location
Estlink 2 electricity cable route between Finland and Estonia in the Gulf of Finland, east of Helsinki and Tallinn
Region
Gulf of Finland
Primary actor
Finnish police and Border Guard
Country
Finland
Countries
Finland, Estonia
Tags
Estlink 2, electricity cable, Finland, Estonia, sabotage investigation, eagle s tanker, container ship Xin Xin Tian 2, critical infrastructure, power disruption, Gulf of Finland
Nodes
Node 1: Borders
Signal
Submitted
Feb 13, 2026, 19:25 UTC
The Estlink 2 electricity cable between Finland and Estonia failed on December 25, 2024, disrupting power to Estonia. Investigations include potential involvement of foreign ships in the area. Sabotage is not ruled out but similar faults have occurred before. Finland’s power supply is unaffected.
At 12:26 PM on December 25, 2024, Fingrid detected a fault in the Estlink 2 submarine power cable connecting Finland and Estonia, which caused an interruption in electricity flow between the two countries. The cable had a capacity of 658 MW. Finnish police and border guard immediately opened an investigation, including examining whether foreign ships caused the disruption. Two ships, the oil tanker Eagle S (Cook Islands flag) and the container ship Xin Xin Tian 2 (Hong Kong flag), were in the area around the time of the fault; Eagle S notably slowed its speed near the cable, and border guards escorted it to waters outside Porkkala. Estlink 2’s outage affected Estonia's electricity supply, which is being compensated by other sources in Europe. Finland was unaffected due to the operation of a smaller cable, Estlink 1. Fingrid noted that such outages happen about ten times a year and emphasized the need for backup sources. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo confirmed the ongoing investigation and assured Finnish electricity supply is stable. The Estonian public broadcaster ERR confirmed Estlink 2 had been out of operation much of the year due to maintenance.
Confidence: High
The disruption of a critical international power cable with concurrent presence of foreign ships and official investigation into possible sabotage strongly indicates hostile hybrid-attack behavior aimed at critical infrastructure.
Source URL
https://yle.fi/a/7-10069696
Published as a hybrid-warfare signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.
{
"id": "96ca04fa-a3d3-4cd1-99d1-c42090560edd",
"url": "https://yle.fi/a/7-10069696",
"source": "csv-import",
"status": "approved",
"category": "Energy & Infrastructure Attacks",
"subcategory": "Critical Infrastructure Sabotage",
"incident_type": "Power grids, pipelines",
"country": "Finland",
"source_reliability": "C",
"info_credibility": "3",
"tags": [
"Estlink 2",
"electricity cable",
"Finland",
"Estonia",
"sabotage investigation",
"eagle s tanker",
"container ship Xin Xin Tian 2",
"critical infrastructure",
"power disruption",
"Gulf of Finland"
],
"nodes": [
"Node 1: Borders"
],
"countries": [
"Finland",
"Estonia"
],
"where_text": "Maritime",
"headline": null,
"description": "On December 25, 2024, the Estlink 2 electricity cable between Finland and Estonia suffered a failure that disrupted power transmission from Finland to Estonia. The issue was detected by Fingrid at 12:26 UTC on Christmas day. Authorities, including the Finnish police and Border Guard, are investigating the incident and examining whether foreign cargo ships, including the oil tanker Eagle S and the Hong Kong-flagged container ship Xin Xin Tian 2, which were in the vicinity at the time, may be connected to the disruption. Fingrid has not ruled out sabotage but emphasizes similar cable faults have occurred several times this year. The smaller Estlink 1 cable remains operational. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stated the incident does not impact electricity supply in Finland. Estlink 2 is critical for the European power system and currently the Estonian side is affected while power is rerouted from other sources.",
"summary_short": "The Estlink 2 electricity cable between Finland and Estonia failed on December 25, 2024, disrupting power to Estonia. Investigations include potential involvement of foreign ships in the area. Sabotage is not ruled out but similar faults have occurred before. Finland’s power supply is unaffected.",
"summary_extended": "At 12:26 PM on December 25, 2024, Fingrid detected a fault in the Estlink 2 submarine power cable connecting Finland and Estonia, which caused an interruption in electricity flow between the two countries. The cable had a capacity of 658 MW. Finnish police and border guard immediately opened an investigation, including examining whether foreign ships caused the disruption. Two ships, the oil tanker Eagle S (Cook Islands flag) and the container ship Xin Xin Tian 2 (Hong Kong flag), were in the area around the time of the fault; Eagle S notably slowed its speed near the cable, and border guards escorted it to waters outside Porkkala. Estlink 2’s outage affected Estonia's electricity supply, which is being compensated by other sources in Europe. Finland was unaffected due to the operation of a smaller cable, Estlink 1. Fingrid noted that such outages happen about ten times a year and emphasized the need for backup sources. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo confirmed the ongoing investigation and assured Finnish electricity supply is stable. The Estonian public broadcaster ERR confirmed Estlink 2 had been out of operation much of the year due to maintenance.",
"actor_primary": "Finnish police and Border Guard",
"target_primary": null,
"location_text": "Estlink 2 electricity cable route between Finland and Estonia in the Gulf of Finland, east of Helsinki and Tallinn",
"location_region": "Gulf of Finland",
"location_coordinates_lat": 59.75,
"location_coordinates_lon": 25.75,
"location_precision": "Exact",
"is_aggressor_signal": true,
"signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
"is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
"classification_complete": true,
"hybrid_signal_complete": true,
"classification_confidence": "High",
"classification_rationale": "The disruption of a critical international power cable with concurrent presence of foreign ships and official investigation into possible sabotage strongly indicates hostile hybrid-attack behavior aimed at critical infrastructure.",
"event_time_utc": "2024-12-25T12:26:00.000Z",
"end_time_utc": null,
"event_time_confidence": "exact",
"created_at": "2026-02-13T19:25:07.904Z",
"updated_at": "2026-11-08T20:52:18.396Z",
"reliability_band": "strong",
"location_precision_band": "exact",
"time_precision_band": "exact",
"severity_band": "moderate",
"attribution_confidence_band": "high",
"attribution_basis": "single_source"
}Source reliability
C
Info credibility
3
Event time
Dec 25, 2024, 12:26 UTC
Event time confidence
exact
Location
Estlink 2 electricity cable route between Finland and Estonia in the Gulf of Finland, east of Helsinki and Tallinn
Region
Gulf of Finland
Primary actor
Finnish police and Border Guard
Country
Finland
Countries
Finland, Estonia
Tags
Estlink 2, electricity cable, Finland, Estonia, sabotage investigation, eagle s tanker, container ship Xin Xin Tian 2, critical infrastructure, power disruption, Gulf of Finland
Nodes
Node 1: Borders