Russia demanded on Wednesday to participate in the investigation of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines leaks, as Sweden, in charge of the investigations, blocked access to the area of the alleged sabotage in
Baltic Sea.
“There really should be an investigation, of course, with Russian participation,” said a Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Verchinin, quoted by the Tass and Ria news agencies
Novosti.
On Friday, the UN Security Council met to discuss the incident, which has sparked outrage in Moscow.
However, Russian gas deliveries were already suspended through these tubes, in the midst of tensions related to the
conflict in Ukraine.
According to Mr. Verchinin, at the meeting at the United Nations, “the shared opinion” was “that it was sabotage and that an investigation was necessary. But “no decision has been made” on whether to hold such a
international investigation, he regretted.
He also urged that Germany, where Nord Stream 1 and 2 arrive from Russia, participate in the investigation.
Sweden has begun investigations on its side, blocking access since Monday to the area of this alleged sabotage “in order to conduct a crime scene investigation”.
Four large leaks have affected the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines off the Danish island of Bornholm since the beginning of last week.
According to Stockholm and Copenhagen, they were caused by underwater explosions equivalent to “hundreds of kilos of TNT” which released thousands of tons of methane.
The Swedish Coast Guard said Tuesday that the bubbling caused by the leaks has stopped over the damaged Nord Stream 1 pipeline, but still no Nord Stream 2.
The perpetrators of this rare incident remain mysterious for the moment.
Suspected of being at the origin of the leaks, Russia counter-attacked by pointing to the United States, which in turn denied any responsibility.
The leaks “are nothing more than an act of international terrorism, the consequences of which can be significant for the European population,” blasted Wednesday the head of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev.
“It is obvious that the United States is the beneficiary, above all economic,” he said, quoted by Russian news agencies, speaking from Crimea.
