Page 10 - EurOil Week 44 2022

EurOil PIPELINES & TRANSPORT EurOil

Russia accuses UK of blowing up

Nord Stream pipelines

RUSSIA RUSSIA’S defence ministry has accused British government has dismissed the investigations
Navy personnel of blowing up the Nord Stream that are taking place in Europe as designed with
Moscow claims that the pipelines – a claim that the UK government has the intention of falsely blaming Moscow.
British navy sabotaged rejected, describing it as an attempt to distract No Western government has directly accused
the pipelines. from Russian military setbacks in Ukraine. Russia of attacking the pipelines itself. But Rus-
Without providing evidence, the ministry sian President Vladimir Putin blamed the US
said that “British specialists” that had directed and its allies within days of the leaks occurring.
Ukrainian drone strike attacks on Russia’s Black The US has denied the charge.
Sea fleet in Crimea earlier on October 29 were A spokeswoman for the Russian foreign
also behind the Nord Stream pipelines’ sabotage. ministry, Maria Zakharova, has said Moscow
“According to available information, repre- will seek a reaction from the UN Security
sentatives of this unit of the British Navy took Council, stating on social media that the Rus-
part in the planning, provision and implemen- sian government wanted attention paid to “a
tation of a terrorist attack in the Baltic Sea on series of terrorist attacked committed against
September 26 this year – blowing up the Nord the Russian Federation in the Black and Baltic
Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines,” the Seas, including the involvement of Britain in
Russian ministry said. them.”
Its UK counterpart rejected this, saying that Earlier on October 29, Russia said Ukraine
Russia was “resorting to peddling false claims had launched drone attacks against its ships
of an epic scale,” in order “to detract from their in the Black Sea stationed in the port of Sevas-
disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of topol, but that it had managed to shoot them
Ukraine.” all down, with only minor damage inflicted to
“This invented story says more about argu- a minesweeper.
ments going on inside the Russian government “Nine unmanned aerial vehicles and seven
than it does about the West,” it added. autonomous marine drones were involved in the
Three of the four strings of the Nord Stream attack,” the defence ministry said.
pipelines were rendered inoperable in late Sep- “The preparation of this terrorist act and the
tember after major leaks occurred that Sweden training of serviceman of the Ukrainian 73rd
and Denmark have said were the result of large Special Center for Naval Operations were car-
explosions. Investigations are also underway ried out under the guidance of British specialists
in Germany, but Russia has been denied the located in the town of Ochakiv,” the ministry
opportunity to undertake its own probe. Russia’s said. ™

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 44 07•November•2022