(Dan Tri) – Russian officials announced on October 23 that they were not involved in the leak of the Balticconnector gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia as alleged by the West.
The Estonian Navy surveys undersea communication cables after the Balticconnector gas pipeline was damaged (Photo: Reuters).
`Any threat against Russia is unacceptable,` the Kremlin issued a statement in response after Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said that NATO needed to close the Baltic Sea to Russian ships if Moscow was officially captured.
According to Mr. Rinkevics, what happened speaks to the importance of strengthening NATO in the region to be ready to respond to all challenges.
In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also reiterated that Moscow denied any involvement in the attack on the Balticconnector pipeline and telecommunications cables on October 8.
During a regular press conference, when asked about President Rinkevics’s comments, Mr. Peskov said: `All threats must be taken seriously, no matter where they come from. Any threat to
The Kremlin spokesman affirmed: `I repeat once again: Russia has nothing to do with this incident.`
Mr. Peskov said he wanted to ask President Rinkevics about the 2022 explosion that severed Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipeline under the Baltic region, which Moscow has accused of being caused by the US and its Western allies.
The Balticconnector pipeline stopped operating on October 8 due to damage, apparently due to `intentional external sabotage`, according to Finnish officials.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also responded to suspicions about Russia’s involvement in the Balticconnector gas pipeline incident with the short phrase `bullshit`.
Although there is no clear evidence, the Baltic countries are still suspecting Russia of being involved in the incident with this gas pipeline.
`The damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline occurred due to external impact and can be considered an attack on NATO infrastructure,` Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.
