Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his remarks on the accession of four regions formerly of Ukraine into Russia, charged that the U.S. and its allies have shifted from sanctions on Russia to outright sabotage. “But the Anglo-Saxons believe sanctions are no longer enough and now they have turned to subversion,” he said. “It seems incredible but it is a fact—by causing explosions on Nord Stream’s international gas pipelines passing along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, they have actually embarked on the destruction of Europe’s entire energy infrastructure. It is clear to everyone who stands to gain. Those who benefit are responsible, of course.”
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev told a meeting of the CIS foreign intelligence chiefs in Moscow on Sept. 29 that it is the U.S. that benefits from the sabotage of the two pipelines, especially economically. “More and more often, serious questions are being asked of the organizers of these smear campaigns (against Russia). For instance, literally from the very first minutes after the reports about explosions at the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines had emerged, the West embarked on a vigorous campaign to find the culprits. Nevertheless, it is obvious that the main beneficiary, first and foremost, economically, is the U.S.,” he said.
At the Kremlin, Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the sabotage an “unprecedented act of state terrorism,” which requires a serious international investigation. “Obviously, such an unprecedented act of, one might say, state terrorism, cannot and should not go without a serious international investigation. Of course, cooperation within the framework of such an investigation will be required,” the Kremlin spokesman stressed, reported TASS.
However, TASS reports, Peskov remained mum on whether the Russian Federation is ready to provide data indicating a Western trace to the state of emergency at the Nord Stream pipelines, mentioned by Sergey Naryshkin, who heads the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). “I can’t answer that question yet,” he said.
