The Russian president said Gazprom was allowed to inspect the pipeline damaged by the “terrorist act”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the damage to the two Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea, telling reporters on Monday evening what Gazprom investigators saw after being allowed to inspect the site.
“It was an obvious act of terrorism,” Putin explained during a press conference in Sochi, following his meeting with leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
When the September blasts that damaged Nord Stream came up, the Russian president said that Gazprom was allowed to inspect the damage. Sweden had refused to involve Russia in the investigation, citing information “that is subject to confidentiality directly linked to national security.”
The blast “tore off” a 40-meter section of the pipe and separated the lines by 250 meters, Putin said, adding there was “a piece bent by 90 degrees and thrown against another part of Nord Stream.”
Putin also described accusations in the West that Russia itself might have been behind the blasts as “nonsense.”
READ MORE: UK responds to Russian accusation over Nord Stream
Moscow has fingered the UK as taking part in “planning, supporting and implementing” the plot to destroy the gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. The defense ministry in London responded by accusing Russia of “peddling false claims of an epic scale” in order to distract from its “disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
Since “European partners” have made it difficult for Russia to work with them, Moscow chose Türkiye for the construction of a natural gas hub instead, Putin said, calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “a man of his word.”
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