CONFLICT ON THE BALTIC SEA Finnish Police Special Forces Made Maritime History by Seizing Cable-Sabotaging Tanker on Boxing Day

Photo: Finnish Police Service
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Before the Finnish Police Special Operations Unit, led by Juha Hietala, boarded an oil tanker on the Baltic Sea on December 26 to stop its cable-sabotage operation, a coastal state had only once responded to undersea cable damage outside its waters by boarding a foreign vessel. In 1959, the U.S. boarded the Soviet MV Novorossiisk in the Atlantic after reports of a severed cable but did not seize it, as the Finns did. Hietala and his team made maritime history.

After Christmas, something extraordinary unfolded in the Gulf of Finland: Finland's elite Karhu unit intercepted the Russian vessel Eagle S, which had been attempting to sabotage nearly all critical connections running along the seabed of the Gulf. By the time the tanker was detained, it had already dragged its anchor and chain along the seabed, severing the Estlink 2 power cable and four other data cables. It is believed that within an hour, it would have also destroyed the Estlink 1 cable and the recently repaired Balticconnector gas pipeline.

On Christmas Day, most police and border guard special forces were celebrating the holidays with their families. Only a few remained on duty, and even they were mostly on standby at home—staying sober and available, refraining from overindulging at the festive table to ensure they were ready to act if needed.

At 12:26 PM, Finland’s Border Guard received an alert from Fingrid, the national grid operator, reporting that the Estlink 2 power cable had been severed. After previous incidents of malicious disruptions, strict protocols had been established, requiring immediate notification of any such events.

Juha Hietala, commander of the Finnish Police Special Unit Karhu.
Juha Hietala, commander of the Finnish Police Special Unit Karhu. Illustration: Johan Elm

In the Border Guard's command center, four suspects were initially identified on the map. However, suspicion quickly narrowed to the 200-meter-long vessel Eagle S, which had departed Ust-Luga port that same morning. Shortly before reaching the power cable, the ship had significantly reduced its speed, suggesting it might have dropped anchor.

Just before 3 PM, Finland’s newly appointed police commissioner, Ilkka Koskimäki, called Jari Liukku, the head of Helsinki’s police district. The directive was clear: form a task force to address the maritime operation. Liukku chose Juha Hietala, a veteran of 25 years in the Karhu unit, Finland’s elite special forces, and its commander for over a decade.

The mission appeared straightforward, but it was unprecedented in scope. While the history of naval operations includes cases of ship seizures, nothing of this kind had ever occurred in the region.

According to legal expert of the Norwegian Maritime Law Center, Alexander Lott, a coastal state has only once responded to the damage of an undersea cable outside its territorial waters by boarding a foreign merchant vessel without seizing control of it. This was done by the United States in 1959 in the Atlantic Ocean, involving the Soviet vessel MV Novorossiisk, after American telecommunications companies reported the severing of an undersea cable in the Atlantic.

Hietala’s task was to stop the Russian shadow fleet vessel from continuing its sabotage operation. He executed the mission flawlessly. In the early hours of December 26th, special forces descended onto the vessel from helicopters, bringing the operation to a successful conclusion.

Special forces operators, as one might expect, rarely grace the pages of lifestyle magazines or maintain a significant presence on social media. Those who know Juha Hietala describe him as a calm and composed family man. Like many Finns, he values time spent in the sauna and at his countryside cabin.

Finnish Coast Guard stopped a small boat which tried to reach the oil tanker Eagle S anchored near the Kilpilahti port in Porvoo, on the Gulf of Finland December 30, 2024. Cook Islands-registered ship Eagle S is suspected of the disruption of the Finland-Estonia electrical link Estlink 2 on December 25, 2024.
Finnish Coast Guard stopped a small boat which tried to reach the oil tanker Eagle S anchored near the Kilpilahti port in Porvoo, on the Gulf of Finland December 30, 2024. Cook Islands-registered ship Eagle S is suspected of the disruption of the Finland-Estonia electrical link Estlink 2 on December 25, 2024. Photo: Jussi Nukari/LEHTIKUVA/SIPA/Jussi Nukari/LEHTIKUVA/SIPA

Hietala is a consummate professional, highly respected by colleagues in Finland, Estonia, and beyond. He enjoys a stellar reputation across Europe, particularly for his longstanding role representing Finland in ATLAS, a Europe-wide network of police special forces. This network includes Finland's Karhu and Estonia's K-Komando, among others. These units maintain close ties, and their commanders meet regularly. Following the Eagle S operation, Hietala’s standing among his peers is certain to rise even further.

Colleagues characterize Hietala as a composed and self-assured individual who knows how to get things done. One acquaintance summed him up succinctly: “With unshakable calm, he knows what to do and who to do it with when the moment calls for action.”

Of course, stopping the shadow fleet tanker was not the work of one man. Every level of Finland’s leadership had a role, from the president and prime minister down. While Hietala headed the crisis command center during the operation, as the leader of Karhu, he did not have the authority to make decisions with significant international weight or implications for maritime law enforcement. Nor could he independently deploy his unit; outside the Helsinki region, such authorization must come from the Helsinki police chief, Jari Liukku. Throughout the operation, police commissioner Ilkka Koskimäki and border guard chief Markku Hassinen were also closely involved.

Still, when the decisive moment came, Juha Hietala led the operation. It was his special forces team that set boots on the deck of the Eagle S, bringing the operation to its conclusion.

Hietala, known for his sense of humor, might appreciate the playful observation that he and his comrades stopped a ship full of Grinches who seemed intent on ruining Christmas for Finns and Estonians alike.

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