Russian Navy Vessels Seen Close to Nord Stream Earlier than Blasts – Nordic Broadcasters Report

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Three Russian navy ships had been noticed within the Baltic Sea within the space of the Nord Stream pipeline blasts previous to the sabotage that halted Russian gasoline flows to Europe in September final yr, an investigation by 4 Nordic broadcasters has discovered.

The Russian navy ships had been traced utilizing satellite tv for pc pictures and intercepted radio communication from the Russian fleet, the 4 broadcasters, Denmark’s DR, Norway’s NRK, Sweden’s SVT and Finland’s Yle, stated.

Authorities in Denmark, Sweden and Germany have stated the explosions that ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and newly-built Nord Stream 2 gasoline pipelines that hyperlink Russia and Germany throughout the Baltic Sea had been deliberate. However they’ve but to publish any findings of their respective investigations.

The Nordic broadcasters discovered that in June and September final yr, the Russian ships sailed from navy bases in St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad to the world northeast of the Danish island of Bornholm the place three of the 4 pipeline leaks occurred.

One of many vessels, a tugboat named SB-123 able to launching mini-submarines, was situated within the space on Sept. 21 and 22, they discovered.

Individually, the Danish Armed Forces confirmed to Reuters {that a} patrol vessel had taken 26 photographs of a Russian submarine rescue vessel named SS-750 close to the Nord Stream blast web site on Sept. 22 final yr, simply days earlier than the explosions occurred.

The incident occurred seven months into Russia’s warfare on Ukraine. The Kremlin on Tuesday denied Russian ships had any involvement within the sabotage and known as for outcomes of the investigations to be revealed.

Moscow has, with out offering proof, blamed the explosions on Western sabotage. Each america and Ukraine have denied having something to do with the assaults as has Russia.

The Russian ships traced by the 4 broadcasters had all switched off their AIS sign, an computerized monitoring system used on ship, they stated. One of many ships within the space was Russian navy analysis vessel Sibiryakov, satellite tv for pc pictures indicated.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Enhancing by Angus MacSwan)

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