Both the US and Russia deny responsibility for the leaks – a fourth hole has since been discovered – in the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Russia have already started investigations. According to US media reports, European intelligence agencies observed both warships and submarines of the Russian Navy near the damaged gas pipelines on Monday and the days before.
However, a Danish officer told CNN news channel that Russian troops regularly operated in the region. Therefore, the most recent sightings are by no means evidence of a perpetrator. The Kremlin had previously vehemently rejected such allegations. Spokesperson Dmitri Peskov called the allegations “expected, but stupid and absurd”. He called for Russia to be involved in clarifying the incidents. Russia’s Attorney General has opened a case of international terrorism. Moscow justified the move by saying that the damage to the pipelines had “inflicted significant economic damage on Russia”.
Russian media: US helicopter circled over spill
According to a report in the Russian media, an American helicopter was involved in the alleged sabotage. “The MH-60R Strike Hawk multi-role helicopter circled for nine hours over the Baltic Sea on Monday, September 26, about 250 kilometers from the Danish island of Bornholm, where the gas leak was discovered,” Internet newspaper lenta.ru wrote on Wednesday, citing flight radar data. Among other things, the attack helicopter can fight underwater targets, the medium emphasized, which is considered close to the Kremlin. The helicopter is said to have been at the said location from 7:30 p.m. Moscow time to 4:30 a.m. Moscow time on Sunday.
Washington called the suggestion “ridiculous.” “We all know that Russia has a long history of spreading misinformation, and it’s doing it again here,” said Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council. An investigation into the leaks, however, could be a long time in coming. With so much gas in the pipes, it could take a week or two for the area to calm down enough to investigate the leaks about 80 meters below the surface, Danish Defense Minister Morten Bødskov said in Brussels.
The climate-damaging potential of the leaks
More than half of the gas has already escaped from the affected pipes, according to the Danish energy authority. The rows should therefore probably be empty on Sunday, as the head of the authorities, Kristoffer Böttzauw, said at a press conference on Wednesday. According to Greenpeace, the gas in the leaking pipelines could have the same climate-damaging potential as 30 million tons of carbon dioxide. That is equivalent to the annual emissions of 20 million cars in the EU, the environmental organization tweeted.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
