Finland Sentences Captain and Boatswain of Vessel Fitburg to Prison Terms of 3 Years 6 Months and 2 Years 10 Months

The Helsinki District Court sentenced Russian Andrei Maksimenko, captain of the vessel Fitburg, to 3 years and 6 months in prison. Azerbaijani boatswain Vusal Majidov was sentenced to 2 years and 10 months in prison. Both were found guilty in connection with the incident in the Gulf of Finland on the night of New Year's Eve 2025, which involved aggravated damage to property.

The court established that the vessel dragged its anchor along the seabed over a distance of about 130 kilometers. As a result, two telecommunications cables were damaged, while another eight telecommunications and power transmission cables and a gas pipeline were at risk of damage.

The convicted men were ordered to jointly compensate the injured parties for the costs of repairing the cables and the gas pipeline, as well as the costs associated with the investigation. The sentence imposed is strict, given that it is the minimum requested by the prosecution, 2 years and 6 months. The prosecution had charged them with aggravated damage to property and particularly serious interference with the functioning of telecommunications systems. The court rejected the separate charge of interference and found that this act already included the offense of aggravated damage to property.

The court also found that Finland had jurisdiction to hear the case, as the consequences of the alleged intentional crime occurred in this country.

According to the court, on the morning of December 31, 2025, while moving outside Finland's territorial waters, the Fitburg dragged an anchor and anchor chain along the seabed for several hours. The anchor locking mechanism was in working order, and the anchor had been raised when the vessel left the port of Saint Petersburg on December 30. The anchor was lowered after leaving the port, but before leaving Russian territorial waters. It was raised only on the morning of December 31, after the Finnish authorities discovered that the vessel was dragging the anchor and informed the crew.

The court noted that the prosecution had not proven whether Maksimenko personally gave the order to lower the anchor, or whether Majidov directly participated in this process. However, both must have known that the anchor was lowered while the vessel was moving over cables and a gas pipeline. The court concluded that Maksimenko knowingly accepted the vessel's further movement while it was dragging the anchor along the seabed.

According to the court, Majidov actively participated in continuing the vessel's movement after the Finnish authorities first contacted the crew. The vessel then continued moving for about two hours. The court established that the boatswain failed to perform his duties and did not ensure the anchor was raised. The captain, however, bore greater responsibility, as he had overall responsibility for the vessel's operation, movement and navigation.

Considering the damage caused and the risk of far greater damage, the court concluded that the defendants' actions posed a particularly serious threat to the performance of functions essential to society.

Both defendants deny the crime. At the trial, Majidov stated that he was not sure whether the Fitburg had caused the cable damage. Maksimenko said he did not know whether his vessel was dragging the anchor. During the pre-trial investigation, he categorically denied that the Fitburg was responsible for the cable damage.

The case was heard by a panel of three judges of the district court, and the decision was adopted unanimously. It is not final and can be appealed.