Russian Ship With Min-Sub Near Nord Stream Pipelines Before Explosions: Report
A Russian navy ship was photographed near the Nord Stream pipelines before they were blown up.
It was previously unknown that the specialist SS-750, that carries a mini-sub, was in the area.
International probes into the underwater bombings are yet to produce conclusive results.
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A Russian navy vessel was seen near the Nord Stream gas pipelines four days before they were sabotaged by explosions, a new report says.
The SS-750 navy ship, which carries a small submarine, was tracked by a Danish patrol boat in the Baltic Sea near the sites of the explosions, according to Danish newspaper Information.
The Danish military confirmed it took 26 photographs of the Russian ship on September 22 last year but said the photos were classified.
The prosecutor leading Sweden's investigation, Mats Ljungqvist, confirmed the existence of the photographs, which were previously unknown to the public.
"This is not new information to us," Ljungqvist told AFP on Friday.
Ljungqvist said he could not comment on the significance of the photographs to the investigation.
It has previously been reported that various other Russian vessels had been photographed in the area, but this is the first time it has been confirmed that the specific Russian vessel SS-750 was sighted.
"It's incredibly interesting. The SS-750 is a special vessel that is designed precisely for underwater operations," intelligence expert Joakim von Braun told Information.
A former Danish intelligence officer and now analyst Jacob Kaarsbo said that the information "sheds light on what was going on in the area in the days before".
"The SS-750 is the most interesting vessel to confirm because we know it has the capacity to carry out such an operation," Kaarsbo said.
"It's incredibly interesting. The SS-750 is a special vessel that is designed precisely for underwater operations," the Swedish researcher, Russia expert, and intelligence expert Joakim von Braun told Information.
Gas leaks were reported in the pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to northern Germany, after the suspected sabotage. Yasin Demirci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
International authorities have been investigating after a series of underwater bombings struck the gas pipelines which transported natural gas from Russia to Germany in September last year.
Many US officials and Western analysts initially suspected Russia was behind the sabotage, which Russia denied.
Investigations are yet to provide conclusive results, and Russia has, at times, without any evidence, blamed the United States.
In March, The New York Times reported that intelligence indicated that a pro-Ukrainian group unaffiliated with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might have been behind the attack.
The Ukrainian government has denied any involvement, and Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the theory.
The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were not operational at the time of the attack due to disputes between Russia and the European Union.
Source: Business Insider
