Russia and Ukraine
After US and Western officials hinted at the possible involvement of a Ukrainian group in the attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines last September, the Kremlin called for an urgent and transparent investigation into the matter.
Questioning US intentions and statements on the issue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov asked today, Wednesday: “How can US officials assume anything without an investigation?”
The smell of a brutal crime
He also considered that Western reports on the Nord Stream bombings issue seem to aim to divert attention from the real perpetrator.
In addition, he believed that everything that was reported recently by the West on the issue of the bombings appears to be a coordinated campaign, according to what was reported by the Russian Information Agency, “RIA”.
He also urged the countries contributing to these gas pipelines to adhere to an urgent and transparent investigation. “We are still not allowed to investigate,” he added, surprisingly. “Isn’t it strange?”
Gas leak at Nordstream (AFP)
He added, “It is not only strange, but it smells like a brutal crime.”
New intelligence
Peskov’s comments came today, after new intelligence reviewed by US officials revealed that a pro-Ukrainian group, likely composed of Ukrainians or Russians, carried out the attack on the pipeline that carries Russian gas to Germany.
However, officials made it clear that there is no evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or his top aides were involved in the operation, or that those involved acted at the direction of any Ukrainian government official, according to the New York Times reported yesterday.
It is noteworthy that the United States and NATO described the attacks that took place in September 2022 on gas pipelines as an “act of sabotage”, while Moscow blamed the West, but neither side provided evidence of its accusations.
