Moscow, September 25 – RIA Novosti. The Russian Ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, has accused Copenhagen of refusing to cooperate in the investigation of the explosions on the “Nord Stream 1” and “Nord Stream 2” gas pipelines. On the eve of the first anniversary of the attacks, Barbin stated that Denmark not only denied Russia’s request for a joint investigation but also failed to fulfill most of the legal assistance requests related to the case. According to Barbin, there has been no substantial progress in the cooperation between Russia and Denmark. He revealed that Denmark’s refusal extended to both the joint investigation and the provision of legal assistance in this criminal case. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has reportedly received a response to only one request, which pertained to an object discovered by the Nord Stream AG 2 company and identified as an empty used smoke buoy. The explosions on the “Nord Stream” and “Nord Stream 2” gas pipelines took place in late September 2022, causing significant damage. Germany, Denmark, and Sweden have not ruled out the possibility of deliberate sabotage. Nord Stream AG, the operator of the pipelines, has described the destruction as unprecedented and stated that it is impossible to estimate the repair time. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has initiated a case of an act of international terrorism. In a separate development, American journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh published an investigation alleging that the explosive devices were planted under the Russian gas pipelines in June 2022. Hersh’s report, based on an anonymous source, claimed that the operation was conducted by US Navy divers under the cover of the Baltops exercise, with support from Norwegian specialists. Hersh further alleged that US President Joe Biden approved the operation after nine months of discussions with national security officials. However, the Pentagon has denied any involvement in the sabotage. The refusal of Denmark to cooperate in the investigation of the pipeline explosions has further strained the diplomatic relations between Russia and Denmark. The incident raises concerns about the security of critical energy infrastructure and the potential involvement of foreign actors in such acts of sabotage.
