Russian President Vladimir Putin raised suspicions on Tuesday that there could be another bomb under the Nord Stream gas pipelines, similar to the one that exploded in September in the Baltic Sea.
“About 30 kilometers from the place of the explosion, a pole was found (…). Experts believe that it could be an antenna to receive a signal with a view to activating an explosive device,” the Russian head of state told Russia Television. -1.
Putin also said that the device “could be placed under the gas pipeline system”, although he did not confirm this information.
The Russian president specified that specialists from the state gas consortium Gazprom found the supposed antenna in the most vulnerable place of the gas pipeline, at the intersection of two pipelines.
For this reason, he stressed, Russia wants to obtain authorization from the Danish authorities to, if possible, “form an international group of anti-bomb experts and technicians who can work at that depth and carry out the necessary investigation.”
“And, if necessary, disarm the explosive device, if there is one, of course,” he insisted, although he admits that so far Denmark has not responded in the affirmative.
Vladimir Putin acknowledged that Russia has “many difficulties” in carrying out its own investigations by not allowing access to the crash site.
Despite noting that there are no precedents, the Russian president stressed that it is theoretically possible to repair the 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 orders from Washington.
The official described as “total absurdity” that Ukraine could be responsible for what he considers a “terrorist attack”, arguing that this attack could only have been perpetrated by experts supported by a state that has the necessary technology.
“That it is an attack is not a secret to anyone. I think everyone has already admitted it. In fact, an attack committed, obviously, at the state level, because no fan can carry out such an action, ”he stressed.
As for those responsible, Putin considered that the United States “is interested in suspending the supply of Russian hydrocarbons to the European market”, to supply its liquefied natural gas, which “is 25-30% more expensive than Russian”.
The New York Times and Germany’s Spiegel magazine recently reported that a pro-Ukrainian group may be behind the sabotage.
By contrast, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied any connection by his government to the explosions on the Russian-German gas pipeline.
A week ago, Moscow announced that it would seek a UN Security Council vote on a proposal to launch an international investigation.
In September 2022, Putin called the gas pipeline explosion an “act of international terrorism” and singled out the US as the Kremlin’s main suspect.
The attacks on the gas pipelines, which were not in service, caused two leaks in each of them, two in the Danish area and two in the Swedish area, all in international waters.
The Nord Stream I and II pipelines have long been the subject of harsh criticism from the United States and some of its allies, claiming that they posed a risk to Europe’s energy security due to its growing reliance on Russian gas.
Germany stopped the certification of Nord Stream II, which was not yet operational, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and Moscow stopped gas supplies to Nord Stream I a few weeks before the attack on the infrastructure installed under the baltic sea
Source: TSF
