US avoids answering who benefits who from broken Russia-EU energy ties

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When asked about the Nord Stream incident, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan tried to avoid questions about who benefits from the broken energy ties between Moscow and the European Union, according to a statement from the Russian Embassy in Washington.

"We took notice of the contradictory statements made by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan regarding the sabotage on Nord Stream’s international gas pipelines," the statement read.

"Such statements, as well as Mr. Sullivan's attempt to shift public attention to the alleged risks of physical and cyber attacks on Western infrastructure by Russia, is another example of the unfounded demonization of our country," it continued to say.

The statement described the situation as a "case of russophobia, deeply rooted in Washington, and a desire to manipulate public opinion. The urge to ‘sweep under the carpet’ uncomfortable questions about who actually benefits from the break in energy ties between Moscow and European capitals," the Embassy added.

The Russian Embassy called "for a comprehensive and objective investigation of all the circumstances of this emergency."

Nord Stream AG reported on Tuesday that on September 26, three threads of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 offshore gas pipelines sustained unprecedented damage. Two explosions were later recorded along the Nord Stream pipelines, according to Swedish seismologists. The West, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is to blame for the situation.

"Sanctions are not enough for the Anglo-Saxons. They have turned to sabotage - it's unbelievable but true - having organized explosions on the Nord Stream international gas pipelines running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, and they actually began to destroy the pan-European energy infrastructure," he noted, adding, "It’s clear to everyone who benefits from it. And the one who benefits from it is the one who did it.".

Read next: US military aircraft circled Nord Stream incident site in September

The Nord Stream pipeline incidents occurred between Denmark and Sweden's exclusive economic zones, which are completely controlled by US intelligence services, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the Soloviev Live TV show on September 29.

"Speaking of where [the incident] occurred. There have been allegations that those are neutral waters and so on. But that is the exclusive economic zone of Denmark and Sweden, the very NATO-centric countries that are stuffed with US-made weapons and which are fully controlled by American intelligence agencies, who have the entire control of the situation over there," the Russian diplomat said.

Zakharova commented on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline leaks and remembered that earlier this year, Washington authorities had said that Nord Stream 2 would never be put into operation. The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that US President Joe Biden respond, among other things, as to whether Washington had carried out its threat regarding the pipelines on September 25 and 26.

Nord Stream crisis

The Swedish National Seismic Network (SNSN) reported powerful underwater explosions in the area of gas leaks from the Nord Stream pipeline on September 27.

SNSN Director Bjorn Lund said as quoted by SVT that "there are no doubts that these were explosions."

“One explosion had a magnitude of 2.3 and was registered by dozens of monitoring stations in southern Sweden,” he stated.

“You can clearly see the waves bounce from the bottom to the surface," Lund added.

On his part, Peter Schmidt, an Uppsala University seismologist, said the Swedish National Seismic Network recorded two "massive releases of energy" shortly prior to, and near the location of, the gas leaks off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm.

Read next: Kremlin hints at sabotage as possible cause of Nord Stream damage

"The first happened at 2:03 am (0003 GMT) just southeast of Bornholm with a magnitude of 1.9. Then we also saw one at 7:04 pm on Monday night, another event a little further north and that seems to have been a bit bigger. Our calculations show a magnitude of 2.3," Schmidt said.

The Norwegian Seismic Array (NORSAR) also confirmed it had registered "a smaller explosion" in the early hours of Monday, "followed by a more powerful one on Monday evening."

Photos taken by the Danish military on Tuesday showed large masses of bubbles on the surface of the water emanating from the three leaks located in Sweden's and Denmark's economic zones, spreading from 200 to 1,000 meters (656 feet to 0.62 miles) in diameter.

Earlier that day, Denmark's maritime traffic agency and Sweden's Maritime Authority on Monday reported a "dangerous" gas leak in the Baltic Sea close to the route of the inactive Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which experienced an unexplained drop in pressure.

The leak, southeast of the Danish island of Bornholm, "is dangerous for maritime traffic" and "navigation is prohibited within a five nautical mile radius of the reported position," the agency warned in a notice to ships.