Helsinki:A Finnish court has handed down a prison sentence to an Azerbaijani crew member involved in the sabotage of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea.

According to Azeri-Press news agency, the Azerbaijani national, along with the Russian captain of the cargo ship Fitburg, was accused of damaging two undersea cables that link Finland and Estonia. The court sentenced the Azerbaijani crew member to two years and 10 months in prison, while the captain received a sentence of three years and six months.

The court also mandated that both individuals jointly pay approximately £1.9 million in compensation. The incident occurred after the 132-meter-long Fitburg left St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 31, 2025, en route to the Israeli port of Haifa. The ship was detained on suspicion that its anchor had damaged telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland. The vessel had a 14-member crew, including nationals from Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan.

The ship's captain has expressed intentions to appeal the court's ruling.