The Russian Navy ship SS-750 was tracked by a Danish patrol boat east of Bornholm Island in the Baltic Sea, near two explosion sites
A Russian vessel known for carrying deep-sea submarines was spotted visiting the Nord Stream pipelines days before they were sabotaged, according to a new report.
Russian warship SS-750 was tracked by a Danish patrol boat east of the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, close to two explosions that led to the failure of pipelines.
The Danish military confirmed that last September 22 they took 26 photos of the Russian ship, which has a crane and its own mini-submarine for underwater operations.
The AS-26 mini-submarine can operate at depths up to 1000 meters, which is significantly more than the 80 meters at which the pipeline exploded.
Four days after the photos were taken, on September 26, on three of the four gas pipelines along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, through which natural gas is supplied from Russia to Europe, explosions have thundered.
“Intentional” sabotage
NATO and the European Union have said the bombings were a deliberate act of sabotage designed to render the pipelines useless.
While various reports place the blame on the US or a pro-Ukrainian group, national investigations have been carried out by countries such as Germany , Denmark and Sweden, never named suspects.
A report by the Danish daily Informatsiya confirms for the first time the presence of a Russian vessel near the pipelines in the days leading up to the attack.
Jacob Kaarsbo, a former Danish intelligence officer, says the latest details «shed light on what happened in the region in previous days.»
«The SS-750 is the most interesting to confirm because we know that it is capable of carrying out such operations,” he added.
The pictures of the Russian vessel were taken by the Danish patrol boat P524 Nymfen.
2904 Nord Stream explosions Information about the location of the ship
The exact location of the Russian ship has not been released, but an analysis of the Danish boat's voyage gives an idea of where it was sighted.
The patrol boat sailed back and in the area south and east of the detonation points, and at some point it slowed down in the area, effectively coming to a halt.
“The movement of P524 Nymfen around 22 September 2022 was in line with the normal mission for a unit deployed to monitor water in Danish waters,” the Danish military said.< /p>
Gas leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, frame from the response of the Danish Ministry of Defense to the F-16 deviation near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea . Photo: DANISH DEFENCE/AFP via Getty Images
A separate open-source intelligence investigation published earlier reported German and Swedish ships, as well as an American reconnaissance boat and helicopter, were nearby.
They may also have been tracking the SS-750 and five other Russian naval vessels that were thought to be at the same time.
Mr Kaarsbo suggested that it was highly unusual for Danish patrol boats and international vessels to operate simultaneously in this area.
“Both Denmark and Sweden patrol in a pattern that is far from normal,” he said.
“This is not a place where either the Swedes or the Danes usually come out . The normal picture on a perfectly normal September day is that none of this happens.»
Moscow uses «ghost ships» to collect intelligence
A joint investigation by national broadcasters from Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway said Russia uses civilian vessels to map critical infrastructure in the North Sea.
Moscow is said to be using so-called «ghost ships» to gather intelligence to carry out sabotage attacks on undersea cables. and energy connectors in the event of a full-blown conflict with NATO.
Свежие комментарии