Finnish police wiretap reveals Russian ‘shadow fleet’ captain instructed to destroy evidence

The captain of a Russia-linked oil tanker that damaged five subsea cables in the Baltic Sea on Christmas Day was instructed by his shipping company to destroy evidence after the ship was seized by Finnish authorities, according to legal releases.

The instruction to conceal evidence is among a range of investigative material publicized by the Finnish Central Criminal Police (KRP) as part of the prosecution in the Helsinki Criminal Court.

The captain of the Eagle S and two senior officers were charged earlier this month with aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications. All three men have denied the charges.

As reported by Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, the transcript of a wiretap released as part of the prosecution of these men reveals that just days after the ship was detained, the captain — a Georgian national named Davit Vadatchkoria — was warned by the shipping company’s technical department to hide a list of subsea infrastructure that the ship had crossed over.

“So don't share this list with anyone, please. Destroy it. Because they will come back and demand compensation from you for all the damages,” the captain is told. He verbally agrees to destroy the list, according to Iltalehti.

Other material made public by Finnish police includes the revelation that the black box of the Eagle S was not functioning at the moment the ship severed the Estlink 2 power cable, according to national broadcaster Yle.

After police ruled out intentional manipulation, the malfunction was attributed to the older vessel’s systems being dependent on receiving a GPS signal, something the ship could not find due to Russian GPS interference in the region.

Prosecutors argue that the senior crew members were recklessly negligent while the defendants contend that the incident was an unfortunate but typical maritime accident. They are also challenging Finland’s jurisdiction. 

Concerns about Russian sabotage came to a head after the incident, which followed several other similar cable breaks, although Western governments are now increasingly confident that the incidents were not directed by the Kremlin.

The Eagle S departed from the Russian port of Ust-Luga on Christmas Day with a cargo of unleaded petrol and diesel from Russia as part of what Western countries describe as Russia’s “shadow fleet” — a collection of up to 1,000 decrepit vessels with opaque ownership structures that sail under flags of convenience to export sanctioned Russian goods.

On Christmas Day, the ship dragged its anchor for almost 62 miles, resulting in the complete severing of multiple cables, including the Estlink 2 power cable and four telecommunications cables. Amid concerns about Russian sabotage, the Eagle S was subsequently boarded by armed police via helicopter. It was released in March minus the three members of its crew who remained under investigation.

The ship’s captain told journalists on Monday that he and his team have confidence in the Finnish legal system and believe they could win the case. The court sessions continue.