Finland filed criminal charges against the top officers of a Baltic oil tanker Monday in connection with severe damage done to undersea cables in December, one of a string of energy and telecom ruptures in the region that many European officials suspected were part of a sabotage campaign directed by Moscow.

The National Prosecution Authority in Helsinki indicted the captain and two first officers of the Eagle S, a Cook Islands-registered tanker believed to be part of a "shadow fleet" transporting Russian oil in violation of international sanctions.

The damage to the Estlink 2, which can provide about half of Estonia's electricity needs in winter, did not disrupt service, although it drove up energy prices in the Baltic nations.View on euronews