The clarification of the act of sabotage on the Baltic Sea gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 has still not made any decisive progress. A new media report from several Scandinavian radio stations now suggests that Russia itself may have blown up the gas connection between Russia and Germany.
Investigative journalists from the broadcasters SVT (Sweden), NRK (Norway), DR (Denmark) and Yle (Finland) want to have found out that in the months and days before the detonation there were apparently several Russian naval ships in the vicinity of the later explosion sites. The findings are based on intercepted radio messages reported by a former British intelligence officer and on satellite images. Danish authorities last week also confirmed sightings of a ship carrying a suitable mini-submarine. It was four days before the explosions in September 2022 near the pipeline. The Navy took numerous photos of the special ship “SS-750”.
Beacon turned off
According to the media report, various Russian ships have been to the pipelines several times. In doing so, they would have switched off their locating transmitters. Russia, on the other hand, accuses Western countries of being the perpetrators. In the meantime, there were also doubts in the West that Russia could be responsible for the act of sabotage.
The explosions on September 26, 2022 near the Danish island of Bornholm severely damaged both lines of Nord Stream 1 and one line of Nord Stream 2. Nord Stream 2 was gas filled for operational reasons, but was never commissioned after completion. Nord Stream 1 was shut down earlier in the summer amid rising tensions between Russia and western Russia. The leaks released a large amount of methane into the atmosphere.
NATO: Russia scouts lines in the sea
In addition to the new lead, there are still investigations into the fact that the perpetrators could have gotten to the pipelines from Germany on board a rented sailing yacht and set explosive charges there. A pro-Ukrainian group or a false flag operation could be used to accuse Ukraine of the crime. So far, no further investigation results have been announced. Sweden, Denmark and Germany investigate independently but keep their results under wraps.
Meanwhile, a senior NATO intelligence official has warned that Russia is actively spying on gas pipelines and submarine Internet cables in Europe and North America. There is a high risk of acts of sabotage to disrupt the economy or the energy supply, reports Politico. The deputy secretary general of the North Atlantic Alliance said that Russia was using civilian ships and spy ships for this purpose and had increased its patrols.
(mki)
