Danish investigators discover a “suspicious object” under the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and Putin claims it could be an explosive device, pointing the finger at the US.
- Putin said an antenna-like object had been found under Nord Stream 2
- He claimed that it could be an explosive device, as he warned that an explosion could occur.
A “suspicious object” has been discovered under the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Black Sea, Danish investigators said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said a ship leased by Russian Energy The Gazprom company had found an antenna-shaped object about 19 miles from where the Nord Stream pipelines exploded last year.
I affirm that the object could be an explosive device as he warned that a new explosion could occur in the pipelines.
“Experts believe that this could be an antenna to receive a signal to detonate an explosive device, which could be placed under the pipeline system,” Putin said.
Denmark acknowledged today that a “device” had been found, but said it does not present a current risk. “The assessment of our authorities is that there is no immediate security risk and therefore no danger to human life or shipping,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said a ship chartered by Russian energy company Gazprom had found an antenna-like object about 19 miles from where the Nord Stream pipelines exploded last year.
In this file photo taken on September 27, 2022, this handout image released by the Danish Defense Command shows the gas leak at the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines connecting Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea suffered a series of unexplained explosions last September, in what Moscow has called an act of “international terrorism.”
Putin today dismissed as “sheer nonsense” allegations that the Ukrainians could be behind the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last year, again pointing the finger at the US.
It comes as Denmark said it was investigating whether the ‘object’ found near the only intact Nord Stream gas pipeline remaining under the Baltic Sea posed environmental or security risks.
“Given the location of the object, the relevant authorities are currently evaluating the environmental and security considerations,” the Danish Foreign Ministry wrote in the letter to the Russian Foreign Ministry via its embassy in Copenhagen.
On Tuesday, the ministry said that the assessment by the relevant authorities concluded that the object did not pose any immediate security threat and that there is no immediate threat to shipping traffic or people in the area.
“We asked the Danish authorities… about a request to work together or form an international group of experts, specialists,” Putin said in an interview with the state-run Rossiya-1 television channel.
The answer, as I said, was vague. In short, there is no answer. They said we had to wait.
A TV reporter asked if this could be an element of a “terrorist attack” on Nord Stream.
Putin replied: ‘Yes, yes, yes, judging by everything. There were various explosive devices, some went off and some didn’t. It is not clear for what reasons.
A view of the damaged Nord Stream pipeline as a result of a series of explosions last year
Gazprom had sent photos of the device to Danish authorities and met with the embassy in Russia, Rasmussen said.
A direct inquiry to our embassy in Russia has also been followed up. Of course, we take it very seriously and it is being investigated,” Rasmussen added.
Last week, Die Zeit newspaper reported that German investigators suspected the yacht Andromeda, owned by a Ukrainian, was used to plant the explosives in the pipeline.
Putin said in Siberia that the explosions, which caused major gas leaks, had been carried out at the “state level”.
He dismissed claims that an autonomous pro-Ukraine group was responsible as “complete nonsense”.
Russia said in November it would provide “evidence” that Britain blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
Television propagandists have repeatedly blamed Britain’s secret services or the Royal Navy for an alleged attack.
Nord Stream 2 was built to supply gas to Europe, but NATO countries are looking for alternative supplies following Putin’s invasion of the sovereign state of Ukraine.
