Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hykkänen confirmed in an interview with Iltalehti that on the eve of the New Year, Russia offered assistance to the crew of the cargo ship "Fitburg," which is suspected of damaging a marine cable.
According to Hykkänen, Russia has always offered some form of assistance in various cases of hybrid influence. "I will not comment on what exactly is behind this case. It should be treated completely normally and calmly," Hykkänen said to Iltalehti.
Hykkänen considers it natural that Russia makes such proposals. "But we act in accordance with our own procedures."
The cargo ship left Saint Petersburg and was heading to the Israeli port of Haifa. The police, conducting a preliminary investigation, reported that the crew includes citizens of Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan.
Finnish authorities discovered a sanctioned item on board the vessel - structural steel.
