Five months after the events, the investigations carried out by Denmark, Sweden and Germany into the explosions that put the NordStream 1 and NordStream 2 gas pipelines out of service, responsible for transporting Russian natural gas to Europe via the Baltic, are at a standstill. This is indeed what these three countries have admitted to the United Nations Security Council, which met on 21 February at the request of Russia, which is calling for an “independent investigation” into this sabotage.
“These investigations have not yet been completed. At this stage, it is not possible to say when they will be,” said the authorities of the three countries concerned.
During the Security Council meeting, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, said Moscow was calling for an “independent investigation” because of its “doubts about the integrity and transparency of Denmark, Germany and Sweden. The UN Secretary General “is someone we trust” to investigate the sabotage, he added.
In addition, the Russian diplomat did not fail to take up the claims of the American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, according to whom the explosions that targeted the two gas pipelines were provoked by the United States, with the complicity of Norway. However, his allegations are not based on any evidence and are based on the confidences of a single source…
That said, Russia has called two prominent witnesses [of American nationality], including economist Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University in New York, and Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst turned political activist. Both have defended Seymoyr Hersch’s thesis.
For his part, John Kelley, the Russian diplomat’s American counterpart, responded that the meeting was a “blatant attempt to divert attention from the upcoming debate in the General Assembly on the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He added: “This is not the first time that Russia has used its seat on this Council to amplify conspiracy theories on the Internet. We wish it would apply the same urgency it has shown over the past three days to the multitude of incredible reports of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law caused by its invading forces.”
In addition, the U.S. diplomat also called Moscow’s concerns about civilian infrastructure, which its troops are targeting in Ukraine, “false. And he could also have cited the regular presence of Russian ships near undersea telecommunications cables and energy networks…
So, while the Security Council was debating the request for an “independent” investigation into the sinking of NordStream 1 and NordStream 2, Belgium said it had opened an investigation into the suspicious behaviour of a Russian spy ship near areas where wind farms, undersea gas pipelines and communication cables are located. The announcement was made not by the Belgian Defense… but the Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne.
For example, repeated last November, this Russian ship “would have had the intention to list sensitive infrastructure, such as wind farms, underwater gas pipelines and communication and data transmission cables,” explained the Belgian minister.
“Everything is being done to counter this kind of suspicious activity (s), including through the purchase this year of a new special software as well as through a new law on maritime security that came into force in early 2023 and allows among other things the surveillance by camera at sea,” he also assured, without specifying whether any action had been taken to chase this spy ship from these sensitive areas.
“The presence of Russian ships in the North Sea is not prohibited per se, but we monitor this closely. We do not know the exact motives of this Russian ship, but let’s not be naive. Especially if it behaves suspiciously in the vicinity of our wind farms, underwater pipelines and data cables and other critical infrastructure. We are taking the necessary steps to better secure them,” Van Quickenborne said.
The ship in question is believed to be the same one that General Jan Swillen, the head of Dutch military intelligence [MIVD], described in a February 20 press conference. As a reminder, he said that “a few months ago” a Russian ship was “escorted” by the Royal Netherlands Navy after it tried to “map” offshore wind farms. “What we have seen in recent months is that Russian actors are trying to understand how the energy supply in the North Sea is organized, with the intention of disrupting it,” he then accused.
Obviously, when it comes to underwater infrastructure, one thinks of the Russian ship “Yantar”… But, a priori, it would not be him that the Belgian and Dutch authorities are questioning. On the other hand, it is possible that the ship in question is the “Admiral Vladimirsky”, an oceanographic research ship assigned to the Baltic fleet. In November last year, it had indeed lingered off the coast of Scotland, after having sailed near oil and gas fields. Another vessel, the Akademik Boris Petrov, belonging to the Russian Institute of Oceanology PP Shirshov, was also spotted in the North Sea at almost the same time.
I’d be more worried about the literally hundreds of Russian spies in Brussels than a ship with some antennae outside of our territorial waters.
Why would Russia bomb pipelines bringing revenue while leaving intact critical infrastructure in Ukraine. Say this particular hydro power plant that would both cut power and partially flood the Ukrainian capital?
4 comments
Five months after the events, the investigations carried out by Denmark, Sweden and Germany into the explosions that put the NordStream 1 and NordStream 2 gas pipelines out of service, responsible for transporting Russian natural gas to Europe via the Baltic, are at a standstill. This is indeed what these three countries have admitted to the United Nations Security Council, which met on 21 February at the request of Russia, which is calling for an “independent investigation” into this sabotage.
“These investigations have not yet been completed. At this stage, it is not possible to say when they will be,” said the authorities of the three countries concerned.
During the Security Council meeting, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, said Moscow was calling for an “independent investigation” because of its “doubts about the integrity and transparency of Denmark, Germany and Sweden. The UN Secretary General “is someone we trust” to investigate the sabotage, he added.
In addition, the Russian diplomat did not fail to take up the claims of the American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, according to whom the explosions that targeted the two gas pipelines were provoked by the United States, with the complicity of Norway. However, his allegations are not based on any evidence and are based on the confidences of a single source…
That said, Russia has called two prominent witnesses [of American nationality], including economist Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University in New York, and Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst turned political activist. Both have defended Seymoyr Hersch’s thesis.
For his part, John Kelley, the Russian diplomat’s American counterpart, responded that the meeting was a “blatant attempt to divert attention from the upcoming debate in the General Assembly on the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He added: “This is not the first time that Russia has used its seat on this Council to amplify conspiracy theories on the Internet. We wish it would apply the same urgency it has shown over the past three days to the multitude of incredible reports of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law caused by its invading forces.”
In addition, the U.S. diplomat also called Moscow’s concerns about civilian infrastructure, which its troops are targeting in Ukraine, “false. And he could also have cited the regular presence of Russian ships near undersea telecommunications cables and energy networks…
So, while the Security Council was debating the request for an “independent” investigation into the sinking of NordStream 1 and NordStream 2, Belgium said it had opened an investigation into the suspicious behaviour of a Russian spy ship near areas where wind farms, undersea gas pipelines and communication cables are located. The announcement was made not by the Belgian Defense… but the Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne.
For example, repeated last November, this Russian ship “would have had the intention to list sensitive infrastructure, such as wind farms, underwater gas pipelines and communication and data transmission cables,” explained the Belgian minister.
“Everything is being done to counter this kind of suspicious activity (s), including through the purchase this year of a new special software as well as through a new law on maritime security that came into force in early 2023 and allows among other things the surveillance by camera at sea,” he also assured, without specifying whether any action had been taken to chase this spy ship from these sensitive areas.
“The presence of Russian ships in the North Sea is not prohibited per se, but we monitor this closely. We do not know the exact motives of this Russian ship, but let’s not be naive. Especially if it behaves suspiciously in the vicinity of our wind farms, underwater pipelines and data cables and other critical infrastructure. We are taking the necessary steps to better secure them,” Van Quickenborne said.
The ship in question is believed to be the same one that General Jan Swillen, the head of Dutch military intelligence [MIVD], described in a February 20 press conference. As a reminder, he said that “a few months ago” a Russian ship was “escorted” by the Royal Netherlands Navy after it tried to “map” offshore wind farms. “What we have seen in recent months is that Russian actors are trying to understand how the energy supply in the North Sea is organized, with the intention of disrupting it,” he then accused.
Obviously, when it comes to underwater infrastructure, one thinks of the Russian ship “Yantar”… But, a priori, it would not be him that the Belgian and Dutch authorities are questioning. On the other hand, it is possible that the ship in question is the “Admiral Vladimirsky”, an oceanographic research ship assigned to the Baltic fleet. In November last year, it had indeed lingered off the coast of Scotland, after having sailed near oil and gas fields. Another vessel, the Akademik Boris Petrov, belonging to the Russian Institute of Oceanology PP Shirshov, was also spotted in the North Sea at almost the same time.
Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
I’d be more worried about the literally hundreds of Russian spies in Brussels than a ship with some antennae outside of our territorial waters.
Why would Russia bomb pipelines bringing revenue while leaving intact critical infrastructure in Ukraine. Say this particular hydro power plant that would both cut power and partially flood the Ukrainian capital?
There’s a simple question here: [Which side has a mobile](https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-germanys-scholz-stress-unified-front-against-any-russian-aggression-toward-2022-02-07/)?
Why is this all over reddit before it is even mentioned on the vrt app?