Some “indirect signs” of sabotage were left by the perpetrators, SVR head Sergey Naryshkin has said
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service chief Sergey Naryshkin © Sputnik / Kirill Kalinnikov
Washington and London were behind the explosions of the two Nord Stream gas pipelines, the chief of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, has said.
The energy links built to bring Russian natural gas directly to Germany were destroyed by unknown perpetrators in a series of explosions in September 2022. Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, who share economic zones in the area, have each launched separate inquiries after failing to agree on a joint effort. Last month, however, first Stockholm and then Copenhagen closed their probes.
“Certainly, we had indirect clues to who did it. These indirect signs were left by the perpetrators themselves. The mosaic has come together. And this mosaic obviously points to the authors,” Naryshkin stated on Tuesday on the ‘Solovyov Live’ show.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior officials in Moscow have previously alleged that the US had the most to gain from the sabotage and pointed to Washington’s public opposition to the construction of the pipelines. Moscow also accused the West of stonewalling the investigation.
In a recent interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, Putin pointed the finger at the CIA, claiming that the US was behind the destruction of Nord Stream. He declined to say what evidence led him to that conclusion.
READ MORE: Kremlin comments after another EU state drops Nord Stream probe
Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh said in February 2023 that, according to his source, US President Joe Biden personally ordered the bombing of the pipelines. Hersh claimed Biden was seeking to cement Germany’s antagonism towards Russia in the Ukraine conflict and ensure the EU’s long-term reliance on Western energy. The White House denied the allegation, but Putin has said he found Hersh’s reasoning plausible.
