Nord Stream: Report puts Russian navy ships near pipeline blast site

Russian ships capable to execute underwater operations were contiguous adjacent to wherever explosions aboriginal took spot connected the Nord Stream pipelines, according to an investigative documentary.

The vessels were reportedly located utilizing intercepted Russian navy communications.

Underwater explosions past September knocked the 2 Nord Stream pipelines - built to transportation state from Russia to Europe - retired of action.

The origin of the blasts is unclear.

In the contiguous aftermath, immoderate successful the West pointed the digit astatine Russia, portion Moscow blamed Western countries, including the UK.

More recently, determination were reports that quality pointed towards pro-Ukrainian operatives, though not the Ukrainian authorities itself.

Formal investigations are inactive taking spot successful countries adjacent to the blast site. So far, these nations person lone said they judge the explosions were the effect of sabotage alternatively than immoderate benignant of accident.

But the latest programme successful the TV documentary bid Putin's Shadow War and accompanying English connection podcast Cold Front provides 1 imaginable pb pointing towards Russia's involvement.

Now, the latest occurrence focuses connected what they accidental are suspicious vessel movements successful the run-up to the Nord Stream blasts.

The ships are believed to see the Russian naval probe vas Sibiryakov, the tugboat SB-123, and a 3rd vessel from the Russian naval fleet that the media outlets person not been capable to place by name.

These were alleged "ghost-ships", which had their transmitters turned off. The broadcasters, however, accidental they were capable to way their movements, utilizing intercepted vigor communications the vessels sent to Russian naval bases betwixt June and September 2022.

These movements were tracked by a erstwhile British naval quality officer, who worked connected interception of the Russian Baltic Fleet until helium retired successful 2018. That idiosyncratic - who remains anonymous successful the documentary - says helium utilized open-source accusation and vigor communications to transportation retired his research.

These ships are said to person been successful the vicinity of an detonation tract for respective hours and, successful 1 case, for astir a afloat day.

One of the vessels, the Sibiryakov, is believed to beryllium susceptible of underwater surveillance and mapping arsenic good arsenic launching a tiny underwater vehicle.

The erstwhile Royal Naval quality serviceman says it took an antithetic navigational way successful June, astir the spot wherever the pipeline would aboriginal stroke up, and changed its communications signifier to a concealed receiver.

Another unnamed vas was besides contiguous successful that country the erstwhile week successful June.

And a 3rd vessel, the naval tugboat the SB-123, is said to person arrived conscionable 5 days earlier the September explosions. The vigor connection suggests that it stayed determination for the full evening and nighttime earlier sailing backmost towards Russia.

Satellite imagery examined by the broadcasters is said to enactment the claims astir the antithetic routes, and different reports successful Germany had claimed it was successful the country connected 21-22 September.

This vas tin beryllium utilized to enactment and rescue submarines and has the quality to transportation retired operations connected the seabed, according to experts interviewed by the broadcasters.

Last week it emerged that the Danish subject had taken 26 photographs of different Russian navy vas specialising successful submarine operations adjacent the tract of the blasts.

A Danish paper said the submarine rescue vessel SS-750 was photographed 4 days earlier the explosions adjacent by. That vas tin transportation a mini submarine.

The documentary does not accidental determination is conclusive impervious of what the vessels were up to oregon that Russia was down the blast. But it raises questions astir the antithetic quality of the activity.

Russia has consistently denied immoderate engagement successful the blasts.