At a press conference today at the UN, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, reported on the closed-door session of the UN Security Council called by Russia, during which he had charged that the investigations into the Nord Stream sabotage that Sweden, Germany, and Denmark are supposed to be carrying out were not only “not moving forward” but were “going around in circles.” In the discussion, he said, he made clear that it is “totally false” that Russia had been kept informed of the status of these so-called investigations, such that there were even certain “awkward acknowledgements” by the Swedish Prosecutor General that Russia had not been provided any details whatsoever on the investigation.
“That’s why we said in the UNSC and stressed that the situation is absolutely intolerable for my country…we will do our best to pursue this cause and will seek an international investigation and punishment of those behind this crime,” the Russian diplomat added. “It is inadmissible that the perpetrators of such a heinous crime that so directly affects international peace and security are not yet identified or prosecuted.” Polyanskiy emphasized that there was unanimity among the UNSC members that the investigation should be accelerated and that reports should be submitted. It is clear, he said, that a state actor was behind the sabotage.
In response to a reporter’s question, Polyanskiy stressed that there are many countries that support Russia’s call for an international investigation, because “they understand what’s going on.” This was clearly a case of international sabotage that occurred in international waters which should be carefully analyzed, he emphasized. He also dismissed another reporter’s suggestion that the Nord Stream sabotage be investigated together with the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam. The two cases are entirely different. Nord Stream was a case of international sabotage. The blowing up of the dam was the work of Ukraine, and this cannot be refuted, he asserted.
