US warship was photographed cruising near the leakage of the "North Stream" pipeline
Video screenshot
Local time On October 10, local time, Danish Radio and Television reported that aerial photos taken by over the Baltic north of Bornholm showed that the destroyer of the US warship "Paul Ignatius" was cruised near the leakage of the " Nord Stream-1" and " Nord Stream-2".
According to the U.S. Navy, this is an destroyer equipped with missile , which is cruising the Baltic Sea.
Previous report: "North Stream" suspicion: German military and police on-site investigation. US military aircraft had appeared on the spot.
German media reported on the 9th that the German Navy and Federal Police have sent a joint investigation team to the waters near Bornholm Island in the Baltic to investigate the leaks in the "North Stream" natural gas pipeline two weeks ago.
German military and police on-site investigation
West German Radio and North German Radio and Television, which produced programs for Germany's "News Today", obtained German Defense Ministry , a document submitted by the Bundestag National Defense Committee, showing that Federal Police Director Diet Roman asked the military to assist last week to "get images of damage to the Baltic Pipelines in the Nord Stream-1 and Nord Stream-2". After the application is approved, the police will send someone to sneak into the water and take photos of the leaked spot of the "North Stream".
Comprehensive "Today's News" and Deutsche News Agency, two German Navy ships sailed to the scene from their respective bases on the 7th. An minesweeper carries military personnel and a multi-purpose boat carries civilians participating in the reconnaissance mission.
htmlOn September 26, a natural gas leak occurred in the subsea pipeline "North Stream-1" and "North Stream-2" that transported natural gas to Europe. There were four leaks, located in Denmark and Sweden exclusive economic zones respectively. The seismic monitoring agencies in Denmark and Sweden observed a strong vibration in the area where the leakage point was located that day, believing that an "explosion" occurred. The governments of the two countries and the European Union suspected that the leakage was caused by "deliberate destruction.""News Today" quoted German Attorney General Marco Buschmann as saying that the attorney general is considering launching a criminal investigation into the damage to the "North Stream" pipeline.
"Northern Stream-1" was opened in 2012. It starts from Vyborg, Russia, and directly connects to Germany through the Baltic Sea. It transports Russian-made natural gas to many European countries, with an annual gas transmission capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. "North Stream-2" is roughly parallel to "North Stream-1" and has a similar design capacity. After completion last year, it was delayed due to obstruction from the United States.
A few days before Russia launched a special military operation against Ukraine in late February, the German government suspended the approval process of the project. The West then initiated a series of economic sanctions on Russia, and the EU decided to gradually reduce imports of Russian energy. Russia has reduced gas supply to Europe, and the "North Stream-1" gas transmission volume has decreased significantly after mid-June, and completely suspended gas transmission at the end of August due to maintenance reasons.
Although the air leakage in the "North Stream" pipeline has stopped, the Russian operator said it was impossible to determine when the damaged area could be repaired.
Nowadays, energy prices and supply in EU countries are soaring, causing public grievances. In Germany, some groups called for the lifting of sanctions against Russia and approved the launch of "North Stream-2" to alleviate the domestic energy crisis .
US military aircraft appear on the spot
Russian Satellite News Agency reported that the Russian Procuratorate has launched an investigation into the "North Stream" air leakage incident as an "international terrorist act." Russia had previously expressed its hope to participate in the investigation of the "Northern Stream" air leakage incident between Denmark and Sweden, but was rejected by both sides.
In response to the US media's statement that the target of doubt is directed at Russia, Russia denounces it as "stupid and absurd" and says that the biggest beneficiary behind the destruction of "North Stream" is the United States, because the latter has repeatedly suppressed the status of Russian natural gas in Europe so that Europe can buy more US liquefied natural gas . In addition, the US side does not want the EU to get closer to Russia due to energy demand.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken commented on the "North Stream" air leakage incident on September 30, saying that this incident was a "huge opportunity" to help Europe "completely get rid of its dependence on Russia's energy at one time", which caused an uproar in public opinion.
UK Reuters quoted tracking data on the 7th, and reported that in Sweden, on September 26, it was suspected that an "underwater explosion" occurred in the southeastern waters of Bornholm Island. At about the same time, a US Navy P-8A "Sea God" anti-submarine patrol aircraft departing from Iceland was flying over North Sea and heading to northwest of Poland . A few hours later, it flew near the "North Stream-2" air leakage point.
Russian Satellite News Agency asked the US military for confirmation on this report. US Navy spokesman Tamara Lawrence responded on the 9th that this was indeed the case, but explained that the military aircraft was "performing routine Baltic maritime reconnaissance flight missions and had nothing to do with the leakage of the 'North Stream' pipeline." Lawrence also said that the military aircraft often travels to and from air bases in U.S. allies and partner countries to perform missions within the jurisdiction of the Sixth Fleet. ( Global Network )
column editor: Zhang Wu Text editor: Song Hui Title picture source: Xinhua News Agency Photo editor: Shao Jing
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