The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has described the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022 as "terrorist attacks" against Russia, a message he conveys after his recent contacts with the president of Finland, Alexander Stubb, and the prime minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Store, amid efforts to resume talks with Ukraine to end the war.
"Direct terrorist acts were committed against the Russian pipelines that transport gas to Europe. They were blown to pieces," the Russian leader has declared, according to the TASS agency, during the Gas Exporting Countries Forum held in Moscow.
Putin has referred to the incident, which is still under investigation by the German judiciary, framing it within the disruptions of global energy supply, where the worsening crisis in the Middle East and disruptions in logistics chains and traditional transport routes also play a role.
In this same context, the Kremlin chief has lashed out at European sanctions on the acquisition of equipment and technology, emphasizing that these restrictions negatively impact the energy supply of the community bloc itself. "In Russia, we have a saying: 'Don't kick others or you'll kick yourself.' And this is what is happening in the European Union," he has pointed out in statements broadcast by the Russian Presidency.
The explosions took place on September 26, 2022, near the Danish island of Bornholm, off the Swedish coast. Nord Stream 1 had served until then to transport Russian gas to Germany, while Nord Stream 2 never entered into service after the start of the invasion of Ukraine.
The German Prosecutor's Office maintains that at least six Ukrainian citizens were involved in the sabotage. The judiciary has already prosecuted one of them, a former army officer, who was handed over by Italy and faces a sentence of up to fifteen years for attacking public infrastructure.
The other main suspect is a professional diver who remains in custody in Croatia, awaiting the completion of the procedure for his extradition to Germany.