British Navy plotted and executed Nord Stream pipeline attack: Russia
By Vipin Vijayan | First Published Oct 29, 2022, 6:01 PM ISTSaturday's accusation by Moscow about the British Royal Navy's involvement also came in the backdrop of Nord Stream AG -- the Nord Stream 1 pipeline operator -- sending a specially-equipped vessel to assess and probe the pipeline damage.
Russia's Defence Ministry has accused the United Kingdom's navy of orchestrating and executing the Nord Stream gas pipeline sabotage in the Baltic Sea. In a statement, the Russian MoD said that 'according to the available information, representatives of this unit from the British Navy were involved in plotting, organising, and implementation of the terrorist attack in the Baltic Sea on September 26 this year to blow up the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.'
Also Read: 'Nord Stream pipeline leaks have shown Europe's vulnerability'
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The UK Defence Ministry, however, rejected the Russian claims. In a brief statement, the UK Defence Ministry said: "To detract from their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale."
The accusation comes days after the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that the movement of ships that was detected at the explosion sites (September 22-25) were not Russian ships but rather belonged to the Swedish Navy.
The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that the 'collective West is behind everything that happened there (to the pipelines). These were the ships of NATO, the collective West and Western regimes that were hanging out there right before the events unfolded. As you may be aware, back in 2015, NATO shells were discovered there that could have caused a blast like that. You are now hiding things that you must share with the international community.'
To note, the Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany have been a hotspot for geopolitical tensions after Russia cut gas supplies to Europe in retaliation to the West's sanctions over its military operation against Ukraine. Around the end of September, four leaks were detected on the two Nord Stream pipelines off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm. Experts confirmed two underwater explosions before the leaks appeared.
While the West claimed that Moscow was involved in sabotaging the pipelines, the Russian President did not mince words and termed it as an act of international terrorism. Saturday's accusation by Moscow about the British Royal Navy's involvement also came in the backdrop of Nord Stream AG -- the Nord Stream 1 pipeline operator -- sending a specially-equipped vessel to assess and probe the pipeline damage.
Also Read: Explained: What is the Nord Stream gas pipeline leak controversy about?
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