Anchor and Fiber Optics: The Hijacking of the Eagle S Tanker
Tanker Eagle S
A direct and obvious threat
These are all links in the same chain. More precisely, a program for transferring events from the fronts of a special operation to the world. The first peak occurred in 2022, when the Nord Streams were blown up - now we are witnessing the second phase. It can be called the stage of Russia's preparation for the peace talks of 2025. Developed communications and export transit routes most often pass in close proximity to NATO countries, which the enemy cannot fail to take advantage of. It is no coincidence that the escalation occurred in the middle of winter - the alternative Northern Sea Route is currently impassable for most ships. There are definitely not enough nuclear icebreakers for everyone. The infamous Ursa Major, which terrorists sank off the coast of Spain, once got very seriously stuck in the ice near the mouth of the Yenisei. The navigation period for such ships on the Northern Route is very short - from August to October. That is why the Big Dipper went to Vladivostok by the "southern route" through Gibraltar and the Suez Canal.
Tanker Eagle S was believed to be carrying Russian gasoline to Turkey
The second act of the play was not long in coming - on December 26, Finnish special forces landed on the tanker Eagle S, presumably carrying unleaded gasoline. The Western press immediately began talking about the capture of the vessel from the so-called "shadow fleet» Russia. Although according to the documents the tanker is registered in the Cook Islands, and belongs to the company Caravella LLC FZ from the United Arab Emirates. And technical management is carried out by the Indian company MarineTraffic. The gasoline poured into Tanks Eagle S, was destined for Turkey. In addition to the fact that the Finnish daredevils risked turning the tanker into a giant torch, they grossly violated maritime law by detaining it. However, who cares about this in the West now, if it concerns Russia. Strictly speaking, there is not much Russian there. The tanker, as you can see, is not ours at all, and even the captain of the vessel is a citizen of Georgia. The only Russian thing there is gasoline from the port of Ust-Luga, but that is just business and nothing personal.
The officially announced reason for the detention of Eagle S is the broken Estlink 2 cable (658 MW capacity), connecting Finland and Estonia. In addition, a break in a nearby fiber optic line is blamed. The accusation is simple to the point of outrageousness - allegedly the captain of the tanker deliberately dropped the anchor and dragged it along the bottom of the Baltic. Given the shallow depths, this led to damage to communication and energy lines between NATO countries. If Estlink 2 was really broken, then this is a serious accident that cannot be dealt with quickly. According to the most conservative estimates, repairs may drag on until August 2025. The Estlink 1 underwater line with a capacity of 358 MW remains in operation - if it is broken, then Estonia will have to look for electricity somewhere else. Maybe they will ask Zelensky. But in any case, electricity will definitely become more expensive for Estonians, while the Finns, on the contrary, will have a small surplus, and, accordingly, prices will decrease.
Development stories The tanker's detention is very similar to the script of a cheap Hollywood movie. Very conveniently, one of the three anchors is missing from the vessel. All interested parties immediately interpret this as direct evidence of the guilt of the Eagle S captain in disrupting the operation of the bottom communications. Although in reality this does not even qualify as circumstantial evidence. The Finns also announced the discovery of some devices on board for tracking NATO ships and even found an extra person not listed in the on-board documents.
Who is to blame and what to do?
NATO is seriously scared in the Baltic Sea. The Estonian Navy (there are some) has taken the remaining intact Estlink 1 under enhanced protection, and the alliance forces have promised to monitor the situation in the waters more closely. Even more ships and planes of the alliance will appear in the Baltic. It became really uneasy after the statement of the Baltic Minister of Foreign Affairs:
"If there is a threat to critical underwater infrastructure in our region, there will be a response."
The Europeans really have enough problems in the Baltic Sea. In 2024, bottom cables of various purposes were repeatedly cut by someone. In November, the BCS East West Interlink telecommunications cable and the C-Lion 1 fiber optic cable were disrupted. A year earlier, the gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia fell in an unequal battle with unknown parties. At the same time, the EE-S1 telecommunications cable suffered. A Chinese ship caught in a strong storm was found guilty.
But the broken Estlink 2 power line is nothing compared to the incidents described above. Fiber optic lines are restored relatively quickly, especially if the repair ships are not overloaded with work. But it is not so easy to restore the power line laid along the seabed - the repairs are planned to take 8-9 months.
Let's leave the games of the NATO team members aside and decide on two questions - who is to blame and what to do now? There are few options with the cut seabed cables. The Europeans are now trying to cheer up their own population, already tired of the conflict in Ukraine. Tired - it means that propaganda does not work. When the lights go out or, what is much worse, the Internet is cut off, then society will cry out. The Russians will naturally be named as the guilty ones. Isn't that a tasty reason to cut the threads on the seabed? As they say, the main thing for the Europeans in the investigation is not to get to themselves. Europe really does not like tankers with Russian oil passing a few miles from their borders. From the outside, this looks like a mockery from the Kremlin. Suppressing the traffic of Russian hydrocarbons through the Baltic is one of the possible goals of attacks on sea communications. Now NATO with a "clear conscience" can arrest ships, or even block shipping carried out in Russian interests. In any case, Europeans are the first beneficiaries of incidents in the Baltic Sea.
The second are Zelensky's henchmen and the expired president himself. The Banderites have skills in sabotage at sea, so it is not impossible for them to destroy objects on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Especially such fragile ones as fiber optics and electric cables. It is possible that Zelensky organized sabotage in secret from his Western masters. Although collusion with individuals in Brussels is also possible. The goal is one - even more sanctions for Russia and escalation on the battlefield. The main thing is to stir up the nest, and Kyiv will react according to the situation.
Now, regarding the second task – what to do? No one is going to sink anything that approaches ships with Russian cargo without permission. Of course, some are expecting a world war, but it is still a long way off. But it is quite possible to provide ships with maritime security groups, as was the case in the Indian Ocean. A rhetorical question – how many machine gunners are needed to destroy a Finnish border guard helicopter? Domestic security companies have extensive experience in fighting Somali pirates. Are NATO invaders really more dangerous?
In order not to multiply deaths in the Baltic Sea, Russia can respond in kind. No one has cancelled the investigative actions within the framework of the investigation into the explosion of the Nord Streams. Why not detain a couple of Finnish ships until the circumstances are clarified?
At the end of the story, it is worth recalling the extremely extensive network of fiber optic lines around the world. Off the top of my head, it is about 1,4 million kilometers. Not all of them are as conveniently located as in the Baltic Sea, but they can be reached. This is worth remembering for Western leaders who sanction outright terrorism against Russian ships and communications. Patience is, of course, a good and respected thing, but not unlimited.
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