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Russia has summoned the ambassadors of Germany, Denmark and Sweden to express “strong protests” over the alleged lack of results from national investigations into the sabotage of the two Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September 2022.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry says that Russian diplomats complained to the ambassadors. on the “inability” of the respective countries to guarantee transparent investigations due to the refusal of the German, Danish and Swedish authorities to cooperate in the case with Russia.
Moscow also protested the lack of response to requests by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin that the three countries authorize Russian gas company Gazprom, the operator of the pipeline, to participate in the investigation.
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“The lack of interest of the countries mentioned above in the clarification of the true circumstances of this sabotage became clear. On the contrary, with their actions they are clearly stretching out time and trying to hide the tracks and the true perpetrators of the crime, which, as we think, are well-known countries,” Russia said.
Moscow blamed “Anglo-Saxon” countries, led by the United States, for the sabotage, calling it “international terrorism.”
Swedish authorities said in April that it was still unclear who was behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in September last year and that the investigation into a “complex” case was continuing.
In total, two leaks were located in each pipeline (both out of service), two in the Danish area and two in the Swedish area, all in international waters, which the governments in question immediately qualified as an act of sabotage, pointing out also a state actor as guilty.
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The Nord Stream, which began operating in 2011, had been shut down before the incident, first for “routine maintenance work” and then due to an alleged oil leak at Russia’s only still-functioning compressor station that Russia claimed lack. be able to repair due to western sanctions.
In turn, Nord Stream 2 was never operational because Germany blocked its certification even before Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.
Source: Observadora
