By Charlotte Webster
Russia has re-iterated accusations against the British navy of an attack on the Nord Stream underwater gas pipelines and has vowed to retaliate for what it called an act of terrorism. The Russian defence ministry said that British navy personnel were responsible for blowing up the pipelines in September, an allegation that London denies.
”There is evidence that Britain is involved in sabotage, in a terrorist attack on vital energy infrastructure, not just Russian, but international,” he added. But Britain’s defence ministry is yet to comment on the matter.
Uk representatives have accused Russians of using it as a distraction from their illegal invasion of Ukraine.
A Ministry of Defence tweet said: “To detract from their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale.
“This invented story says more about arguments going on inside the Russian government than it does about the West.”
Establishing the precise facts in this case remains of paramount importance, as finger pointing, allegations and counter allegations are the easiest thing to do, especially for the Russians.
Earlier on November 29, the Russian defence ministry had accused British navy personnel blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September. “According to available information, representatives of this unit of the British Navy took part in the planning, provision, and implementation of a terrorist attack in the Baltic Sea on September 26 this year – blowing up the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines,” the ministry had said.
Britain on Monday warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of severe consequences if Moscow uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine, saying such a step would change the nature of the conflict.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also urged Russia not to impede grain exports, and said that “increasingly desperate statements” from the Kremlin were designed to distract from its faltering war effort.
“No other country is talking about nuclear use. No country is threatening Russia or President Putin,” Cleverly told lawmakers.
“He should be clear that for the UK and our Allies, any use, at all, of nuclear weapons would change the nature of the conflict. There would be severe consequences for Russia.”
Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday that British navy personnel blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month.
The Russian ministry also said that “British specialists” from the same unit directed Ukrainian drone attacks on ships of Russian Black Sea fleet in Crimea on Saturday
Cleverly did not directly reference those comments. Without detailing what he was referring to, he said: “Now the Kremlin is resorting to peddling false claims, churning out invented stories that say more about the fractures within Russia’s government than they do about us.”
The 760-mile pipelines run from Russia to Germany, via the Baltic Sea, at a depth as low as 110 metres.
They were the most important supply route for Russian gas supplies to Europe, with a joint annual capacity of 110 billion cubic metres – more than half of Russia’s normal gas export volume.
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But Russia cut off supply via Nord Stream 1 at the end of August, and Nord Stream 2 never entered service, as Germany paused its certification process shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
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On 26 September, the pipelines registered a sharp drop in pressure and seismologists detected explosions before four leaks were recorded.
Russia said on Saturday: “According to available information, representatives of this unit of the British Navy took part in the planning, provision and implementation of a terrorist attack in the Baltic Sea on 26 September this year – blowing up the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.”
It did not share any evidence to back up its claims., Russia has also claimed “British specialists” directed Ukrainian drone strikes on ships in the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol early on Saturday.
Russia’s defence ministry said: “Nine unmanned aerial vehicles and seven autonomous marine drones were involved in the attack.
“The preparation of this terrorist act and the training of servicemen of the Ukrainian 73rd Special Center for Naval Operations were carried out under the guidance of British specialists located in the town of Ochakiv.”