Russian President Vladimir Putin today raised suspicions that another bomb could be lying under the Nord Stream gas pipelines, similar to the one that exploded in the Baltic Sea in September.
“A pole was found about 30 kilometers from the site of the explosion (…). Experts think it could be an antenna to pick up a signal with a view to triggering an explosive device,” it said. Russian head of state on television Russia. -1.
Putin also said that the device “can be placed under the gas pipeline system”, although he did not confirm this information.
The Russian leader specified that specialists from the state gas consortium Gazprom found the alleged antenna at the most vulnerable point of the pipeline, at the intersection of two pipes.
Therefore, he stressed, Russia wants to get permission from the Danish authorities to form, if possible, “an international group of experts and anti-bomb technicians who can work at that depth and do the necessary research”.
“And, of course, if necessary, defuse the explosive,” he insisted, though admitting that Denmark has so far not responded in the affirmative.
Vladimir Putin acknowledged that Russia is having “great difficulty” conducting its own investigation by being denied access to the crash site.
Despite the fact that there are no precedents, the Russian president stressed that it is theoretically possible to repair the gas pipeline, although it requires time, resources and new technologies.
Putin stressed that the pipeline has a future as long as European countries are interested and guided by “the instinct of their national interests” and do not obey Washington’s orders.
The official described it as a “total absurdity” that Ukraine could be responsible for what he considers a “terrorist attack”, arguing that this attack could only have been carried out by experts backed by a state that has the necessary technology. features.
“That it is an attack is no secret to anyone. I think everyone has already admitted that. In fact, an attack was committed, apparently at the state level, because no fan can carry out such an action,” he emphasized .
As for those responsible, Putin believed that the United States is “interested in suspending the supply of Russian hydrocarbons to the European market”, to supply them with liquefied natural gas, which is “25-30% more expensive than Russian”.
The newspaper The New York Times and the German magazine Mirror recently reported that a pro-Ukrainian group may be behind the sabotage.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on the other hand, has denied any connection by his government to the gas pipeline explosions between Russia and Germany.
A week ago, Moscow announced it would vote in the UN Security Council on a proposal to launch an international investigation.
In September 2022, Putin qualified the gas pipeline explosion as an “act of international terrorism” and designated the US as the Kremlin’s prime suspect.
The attacks on the gas pipelines, which were not in use, caused two leaks in each, two in the Danish zone and two in the Swedish zone, all in international waters.
The Nord Stream I and II pipelines have long been the target of fierce criticism from the United States and some of its allies, who claimed they posed a risk to Europe’s energy security due to its growing dependence on Russian gas.
Germany stopped certifying the Nord Stream II, which was not yet operational, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and Moscow stopped gas supply to the Nord Stream I a few weeks ago before the attack on the installed infrastructure under the Baltic Sea.
Source: DN
