Who blew it? Putin blames UK Royal Navy for Nord Stream blast

Russia’s defence ministry has accused the British Royal Navy of sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month, a claim that London vigorously denies.

Moscow did not provide any evidence to back up its assertion, saying that “British specialists” from the same unit directed Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russian Black Sea fleet in Crimea causing minor damage to a minesweeper

Moscow previously blamed the West for the explosions that ruptured the Russian-built Nord Stream pipelines on the bed of the Baltic Sea, but without naming names.

The Russian defence ministry said…

“According to available information, representatives of this unit of the British navy took part in the planning, provision and implementation of a terrorist attack in the Baltic Sea on September 26 this year – blowing up the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.”

The UK has been quick to deny Moscow’s claims. In response, a UK defence spokesperson 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.

“This invented story, says more about arguments going on inside the Russian government than it does about the West.”

Maria Zakharova, director of the information and press department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Moscow wanted to draw attention to…

“a series of terrorist attacks committed against the Russian Federation in the Black and Baltic Seas, including the involvement of Britain in them.”

Sweden and Denmark said that four leaks in the pipeline were caused by explosions, but did not say who might be responsible. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the damage “sabotage.”

Putin: “Gas pipeline systems were blown up-they are not only ours, they are pan-European, there are 5 European companies represented in Nord Stream 1….Everyone is silent, as if it should be so. And they still have enough impudence to say that maybe Russia blew it up?” pic.twitter.com/xHjG3Cqqik

— The Convo Couch (@theconvocouch) October 28, 2022

The Kremlin has repeatedly said allegations of Russian responsibility for the damage were “stupid.”

Russian officials have suggested that Washington had a greater motive as it wants to sell more liquefied natural gas to Europe.