Russian captain denies noticing anything before cable damage

Andrei Maksimenko, the Russian captain accused of damaging undersea cables, told a Helsinki district court that he noticed nothing unusual before two cables were damaged, Yle reported. He said he still did not understand what happened that night.

Maksimenko is being heard in court in a case involving the Fitburg, the vessel he commanded. He and the ship’s boatswain are accused of damaging two undersea telecommunications cables and attempting to damage eight other underwater connections.

According to prosecutors, the vessel dragged its anchor along the seabed for 130 kilometres. Prosecutors say this posed a serious threat to Finland’s telecommunications, electricity and gas networks.

The prosecution is seeking prison sentences of at least two and a half years for both men on charges of aggravated criminal damage and aggravated interference with telecommunications. It argues that the cable damage was intentional. Both defendants deny the charges.

Speaking through an interpreter, Maksimenko said the vessel’s starboard anchor was covered in frozen mud when he took command. He said the ship had begun moving in bad weather while anchored off St Petersburg.

According to Maksimenko, the anchor could not be washed because the cleaning system’s pipes might have frozen in the cold. He said the muddy anchor did not concern him, because no report or observation had given him reason to suspect that it was not in proper condition.

When Maksimenko began his watch on New Year’s Eve, the chief officer told him that Finnish authorities had asked vessels in the area to check their anchors. The chief officer had sent the boatswain to inspect the anchor, and the boatswain had reported seeing nothing unusual.

Soon afterwards, however, the Finnish Coast Guard informed the crew that the Fitburg’s anchor was in the water.

“I was extremely surprised,” Maksimenko told the court.

He said he began slowing the vessel because he considered it important to determine what had happened. He said that neither he nor the chief officer, who had been on watch earlier, had noticed anything unusual in the vessel’s movements.

“To this day, I still do not understand what happened that night. It remains a paradox for me,” Maksimenko said.