en.Wedoany.com Reported - Fingrid, Finland's state-owned grid operator, has confirmed it will disconnect a fiber optic communication link connected to Russia, a cross-border infrastructure that had been retained even after the cessation of electricity trade between the two countries. Fingrid told Recorded Future News on Friday that this telecommunications connection will be decommissioned once the current lease agreement expires, with reports indicating this will occur at the end of this year.
"These two telecommunications connections were part of the cross-border electricity transmission link between Finland and Russia," a Fingrid spokesperson said. "This electricity transmission connection ceased operations in 2022, and its physical infrastructure has since been dismantled." The authorities did not specify how much internet traffic would be affected, with the spokesperson adding only that "to our knowledge, the impact of this decision on telecommunications connections between the two countries is very limited."
Finland's Helsingin Sanomat reported earlier this week that only one fiber optic cable is affected, while Russia's Kommersant reported earlier that multiple cables could be cut. Kommersant, citing anonymous telecommunications industry sources, reported that Fingrid has warned Russian telecom operators that it will cease maintenance of the transmission towers carrying fiber optic communication infrastructure, and that the operators involved are negotiating alternative routes with Finnish telecommunications companies.
Rosseti, the state-owned grid operator, told Kommersant that the cross-border transmission line sections under its control have been operating under restricted conditions since 2022, with no electricity being transmitted. The company added that the infrastructure will be repurposed to meet the needs of the domestic power sector and stated that it has not received any information regarding the condition of the Finnish section of the line.
The Russian newspaper said the move could reduce redundancy for international internet traffic serving northwestern Russia, though industry sources told the paper that the overall impact on internet connectivity is expected to be limited, as traffic can be rerouted through other international links, including routes via Belarus, the Baltic states, and Baltic Sea submarine cables. Recorded Future News could not independently verify Kommersant's reporting.
Before the suspension of electricity trade, Fingrid operated three 400-kilovolt and two 110-kilovolt transmission lines connecting Finland and Russia. According to Kommersant, these lines delivered 9.1 terawatt-hours of imported electricity to Finland in 2021. Fingrid is half-owned by the Finnish state, with the remainder held by financial and insurance institutions.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Finland's subsequent decision to join NATO. Finnish authorities have repeatedly warned of influence operations and sabotage by Russia targeting critical infrastructure, including telecommunications networks and submarine cables. The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service stated in 2023 that the Kremlin now regards Finland as a hostile state.
