Captain Davit Vadacthkoria, a Georgia national, and two senior officers of the Eagle S tanker registered in the Cook Islands were accused of dragging the ship's anchor to the seabed for about 90km, severing the underground cable in the Gulf of Finland on December 25, 2024.
On September 5, 2025, the defendants appeared as witnesses at the European Court of Human Rights ( Finland), where they were accused of "serious criminal waste and seriously disturbing communication".
Prosecutors said the crew deliberately neglected their duties. A ship that has been towing for so many hours, how can anyone not recognize it? - prosecutor Mikko Larkia asked.
However, the defense confirmed that the damage was due to an accident. The defense said that on the day the cable broke, the ship had to stop and slow down at sea due to a problem with the main engine in bad weather conditions.
Vadacthkoria told the court that the crew saw no signs of the anchor falling off the ship. "There is no reason to doubt that this is not in accordance with regulations," said the captain.
Vadacthkoria said security checks conducted on the ship did not detect any "serious" problems before the ship left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on December 25.
Vadacthkoria said he "really apologize".
"As a captain, I don't want people to think I'm not responsible for my actions. I came here to tell the truth," Vadacthkoria said.
The defendants also said that the Finnish authorities had contacted the Eagle S on the day of the incident to ask about the ship's anchor and the crew replied that they were safe.
Several Baltic Sea cables were damaged last year, and many experts suspect this is part of Russia's "hybrid war" against Western countries.
Moscow has been accused of using its secret "shadow fleet" to evade sanctions imposed by Western allies over the Ukrainian conflict.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in January that the accusations of Russia's involvement in destroying the undersea cables under the Baltic Sea were aimed at preventing Russia's oil exports and restricting freedom of maritime transport in the region. Investigations show no evidence that Russia is responsible for the incidents.
The prosecution said it plans to propose a prison sentence of at least 2 and a half years.
