INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
An oil tanker believed to belong to Russia's "shadow fleet" and suspected of sabotaging undersea Baltic cables has been allowed to leave
Finland's waters, where it has been held since December, Finnish police said Sunday.The Eagle S, which is registered in the Cook Islands, is
suspected of intentionally dragging its anchor dozens of kilometres along the Baltic seabed, damaging an electrical cable and four
telecommunications cables on Dec
25."As the criminal investigation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation, including the forensic investigation on board Eagle S,
has progressed, there are no longer grounds for continuing the seizure of the tanker," police said in a statement.The Swedish navy found the
anchor in January.Finnish police suspect eight of the tanker's crew of involvement, and three of them are still barred from leaving
Finland.The investigation will continue, the police said, adding they expect it to be completed by the end of April.Security analysts say
Russia is operating a large "shadow fleet" of hundreds of vessels, seeking to dodge the sanctions Western nations imposed on its oil exports
over the war in Ukraine.Several undersea Baltic cables were damaged last year, with some experts calling it part of a "hybrid war" carried
out by Russia against Western countries.Both Sweden and Finland joined NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the military
alliance has recently increased its surveillance in the Baltic Sea.The Finnish coast guard will escort the Eagle S to international waters.
