Such an incident is unlikely to have occurred without the involvement of a state power, said spokesman Dmitry Peskov
The damage inflicted on Russia’s Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines points to a likely “terrorist act,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
He told reporters that it is currently difficult to say with absolute certainty what happened to the pipelines, but “the scale of destruction indicates that it was indeed some [terrorist] Act.”
“It is very difficult to imagine that such a terrorist act could have occurred without the involvement of any state power,” he said.
The spokesman was also asked to comment on a report by CNN, which cited unnamed Western intelligence officials as saying that Russian warships were seen not far from the gas leaks at sea on Monday and Tuesday.
“This area is the Baltic Sea. Many more flying, floating and other seaborne vehicles belonging to NATO countries were observed there,” Peskov insisted, describing the report as “stupid” and “agenda-driven.”
Leaks from the gas pipelines, which connect Russia to Germany, were discovered by Denmark on Tuesday after the Nord Stream operator reported a loss of pressure. Danish and Swedish authorities later said a series of underwater explosions had been detected near the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.
This prompted Russia, the US, the EU and Sweden to suggest that the leaks may have been the result of a deliberate act. No top-level accusations have been made, but some European and Ukrainian officials have been quick to point the finger at Russia, saying the alleged sabotage of the pipelines could have been a “false flag” operation by Moscow in an attempt to smear Kyiv and push up energy prices further in the EU.
Peskov responded to those claims on Wednesday, calling them “absurd” and pointing out that the leaks were “a big problem” for Russia as well. He reiterated that the US has recently made “super-duper profits” supplying LNG to Europe and will benefit from continuing those supplies.
Sweden said on Thursday that its coast guard had detected another – fourth – breach in the Nord Stream pipelines.
According to estimates from Denmark, gas will continue to leak into the Baltic Sea until the end of the week.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Tagesspiegel has reported, citing “government circles,” that the damage to the pipelines may be irreparable.
(RT.com)
Source: sn.dk