“Total nonsense”
Putin does not trust Ukrainians to sabotage Nord Stream
03/14/2023 7:56 p.m
It is rare that the presidents in Kiev and Moscow agree. Zelenskyy calls reports that Ukrainian activists are responsible for the Nord Stream blasts “ridiculous.” Kremlin boss Putin speaks of “total nonsense”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed reports that Ukrainian activists were involved in the explosions at the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea as “total nonsense”. Such an action of this depth and on this scale “only specialists” could carry out, Putin said in a television interview. “This also includes the support of a state that has the appropriate technology.”
Specifically, Putin did not want to comment on the authorship of the explosions. But you always have to question who might have an interest in it. “And who is interested? The USA could theoretically have an interest in preventing Russian energy sources from entering the European market,” said the Kremlin chief. According to Putin, a Gazprom ship also discovered evidence of the presence of another explosive device on the gas pipeline. This is about 30 kilometers away from one of the explosion sites. At the pipe junction, something was detected that experts believed “could be an antenna to receive a signal to detonate an explosive device.”
Group of six is said to have rented a yacht
There were explosions last September on three of the four strands of the two Nord Stream natural gas pipelines lying on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Germany, Sweden and Denmark have started investigations. A few days ago, the media in Germany, the USA and Great Britain published information about the possible course of events. According to this, a group of six with forged passports is said to have rented a yacht and unnoticed placed the explosive devices in a water depth of a good 80 meters.
The media had speculated about the alleged involvement of a pro-Ukrainian group. Two of the people on the yacht are said to have had Ukrainian passports. However, a connection to government agencies in Ukraine cannot be established. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Ukraine’s participation as “ridiculous”.