Moscow has renewed its allegations against London that it was instrumental in the alleged attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Naval units would have participated in all important steps.
Russia accuses Britain of involvement in the explosions on the German-Russian gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2. Members of a “British Navy unit” were involved in the “planning, supply and execution” of the “terrorist attack” at the end of September, the Russian Ministry of Defense told Telegram. The four explosions off the Danish island of Bornholm had torn several leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines. These units are also responsible for today’s attacks on the Black Sea Fleet.
A few days after the explosions on the pipeline, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed “the Anglo-Saxons” for the incidents. The “Anglo-Saxons” had started to destroy the European energy infrastructure by “organizing explosions on the international gas pipelines (…).” The US was pressuring European countries to completely cut off supplies of Russian gas, the Kremlin chief said at the time. With this, the United States wanted to “conquer” the European market itself.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken firmly denied the allegations. “I really have nothing to say about President Putin’s absurd claim that we or other partners or allies are somehow to blame,” he said.
Russia subsequently complained repeatedly that it had not been included in the international investigation into the leaks allegedly caused by acts of sabotage. The Swedish judiciary had announced the day before that they wanted to inspect the pipelines again. The Nord Stream company made a similar announcement and sent a civilian ship flying the Russian flag for this purpose.
The leaks discovered on September 26 were preceded by explosions. The first underwater investigations confirmed the suspicion of acts of sabotage. Since the start of the Ukraine conflict, the two pipelines between Russia and Germany have been at the center of geopolitical tensions.
These were fueled further by Moscow’s decision to halt gas supplies to Europe through the pipelines. The delivery stop is seen as a presumed retaliation for Western sanctions. The Nord Stream pipelines were out of service at the time of their damage but filled with gas.
