Denmark warned on Thursday that the presence of many World War II munitions in the Baltic Sea is hampering investigations into possible sabotage against Russia’s Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines.
“There’s a lot of ammunition at the bottom of the sea, so it’s not that easy,” Danish Defense Minister Morten Bodskov said in Brussels, where he attends a NATO ministerial meeting, quoted by the Spanish agency EFE.
“But the work continues and at a good pace,” Bodskov told the Danish press, noting that Denmark is collaborating with Germany and Sweden in the investigation.
Bodskov also said the public will be notified of any findings about what happened in the two gas pipelines connecting Russia and Germany, both of which are out of order.
Supply through Nord Stream 1 stopped weeks ago, while Moscow claimed to be experiencing technical difficulties.
Nord Stream 2 was never commissioned by Germany, following Russia’s recognition of the self-proclaimed breakaway republics in Donbass, which preceded the invasion of Ukraine on February 24 this year.
In the last week of September, four gas pipeline leaks were discovered, two in the Danish economic zone and two in the Swedish zone, all in international waters, described as sabotage by the governments involved..
Danish and Swedish authorities began inspecting the area last week after all three major leaks stopped surfacing gas and only one small leak was still active.
The Swedish Public Prosecutor’s Office recently reported that suspicions of possible sabotage have been strengthened following the completion of the inspection of the damaged pipes.
Denmark has not provided details of its investigation, although army divers have already inspected the area, according to public TV DR.
The discovery of the leaks prompted the electricity and gas sectors in Denmark and Sweden to raise the alert level at their facilities, including a military presence.
Neighboring Norway, although it has no Baltic coast, has also taken similar measures.
The Scandinavian countries, the European Union (EU), the United States and Russia speak of sabotage, but differ on the possible perpetrators.
Moscow accused Anglo-Saxon countries of being behind the alleged sabotage, citing longstanding US opposition to the project, while some Western countries blamed Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced today that Moscow will not recognize the validity of any investigation if Russia does not participate in the trial.
This position was conveyed to the German, Danish and Swedish ambassadors in Moscow, who were called to the ministry headed by Sergei Lavrov.
In a statement quoted by the official TASS agency, the ministry said that if it does not participate in the investigation, Russia will conclude that the countries involved have “something to hide” or intend to cover up “the perpetrators” of “terrorist acts”. . .
“Russia, of course, will not recognize ‘pseudo-results’ from such an investigation, if Russian experts do not participate in it,” Sergei Lavrov’s ministry said.
Source: DN
