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| Russian navy vessel seen near Nord Stream pipelines days before blasts | Russian navy vessel seen near Nord Stream pipelines days before blasts |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Submarine rescue ship SS-750 was photographed in the Baltic Sea four days before the still-unexplained explosions on the pipelines | Submarine rescue ship SS-750 was photographed in the Baltic Sea four days before the still-unexplained explosions on the pipelines |
| A Russian navy vessel specialising in submarine operations was photographed near the sabotaged Nord Stream gas pipelines just prior to the mysterious September blasts, according to the Danish daily newspaper Information. | |
| The prosecutor leading Sweden’s investigation into the sabotage confirmed the existence of the hitherto publicly unknown photographs. | The prosecutor leading Sweden’s investigation into the sabotage confirmed the existence of the hitherto publicly unknown photographs. |
| “I’m aware of the information from before … This is not new information to us,” Mats Ljungqvist said on Friday. | |
| The newspaper said the submarine rescue ship SS-750 was photographed in the Baltic Sea four days before the still-unexplained explosions on the pipelines linking Russia to Germany. The ship carries a mini-submarine. | |
| “The Danish military confirmed that 26 photos of the Russian vessel were taken from a Danish patrol boat in the zone located east of Bornholm on 22 September 2022,” Information said, adding the photos were classified. | “The Danish military confirmed that 26 photos of the Russian vessel were taken from a Danish patrol boat in the zone located east of Bornholm on 22 September 2022,” Information said, adding the photos were classified. |
| The Danish military has not responded to AFP’s request for comment. | The Danish military has not responded to AFP’s request for comment. |
| Ljungqvist said he could not comment on the photographs’ significance to the Swedish investigation, noting it was “confidential”. | Ljungqvist said he could not comment on the photographs’ significance to the Swedish investigation, noting it was “confidential”. |
| Seven months after the spectacular blasts on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, it has yet to be established who was responsible, despite criminal investigations in the countries bordering the damaged part of the pipelines, Germany, Sweden and Denmark. | |
| The New York Times reported in March that US officials had seen new intelligence indicating that a “pro-Ukrainian group” was responsible, without the involvement of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. | |
| German prosecutors subsequently said that, in January, investigators had searched a ship suspected of having transported explosives used in the blasts. | German prosecutors subsequently said that, in January, investigators had searched a ship suspected of having transported explosives used in the blasts. |
| In March, Ljungqvist said it was “still unclear” who was behind the sabotage, calling it “a complex case”. “Our primary assumption is that a state is behind it,” he said. | In March, Ljungqvist said it was “still unclear” who was behind the sabotage, calling it “a complex case”. “Our primary assumption is that a state is behind it,” he said. |
| A former Danish intelligence officer turned analyst, Jacob Kaarsbo, told Information that the presence of SS-750 in the zone “sheds light on what was going on in the region in the preceding days”. | |
| The confirmation was of particular interest “because we know it is capable of carrying out such an operation”, he said. | The confirmation was of particular interest “because we know it is capable of carrying out such an operation”, he said. |