“Wait for damage assessment”: the Kremlin reacted to the recognition of explosions at Nord Stream as sabotage

Remains of explosives were found near the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 highways.

This was announced on Friday, November 18, the Swedish prosecutor's office.

As stated in a press release from the department, explosions on pipelines occurred as a result of sabotage.

“Cooperation with authorities in Sweden and other countries is excellent.

For the continuation of the preliminary investigation and for various ongoing cooperation, it is important that we can work in peace and quiet,” said the head of the preliminary investigation, prosecutor Mats Jungkvist.

Meanwhile, the Russian authorities positively assessed the results of the work of the Swedish law enforcement agencies.

According to the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, it is important to continue the investigation and find out who was the organizer of the explosion.

At the same time, in order to talk about the prospects for the restoration of pipelines, it is necessary first to assess the damage from the explosion, the Kremlin believes.

“First, we need to wait for a full assessment of the damage.

It is necessary to analyze these data on damage before experts give an opinion on the prospects for restoration or non-restoration (damaged threads on Nord Stream.

),” Peskov added.

Earlier, Nord Stream AG published the results of the initial inspection of Nord Stream, according to which two man-made craters 3-5 m deep were found at the leak site.

At the same time, a fragment of the pipe between the funnels was destroyed, and part of its fragments scattered about 250 m, the organization's experts believe.

Earlier, Vladimir Putin, citing Gazprom data, said that not all of the pipe between the wreckage was destroyed.

However, according to him, its fragments were thrown towards Nord Stream 2, which, along with the blast wave, could cause damage to this highway as well.

“Europeans, as often happens, as almost always happens, they shut their mouths, they are silent, as if it were the way it should be.

Despite the fact that it really undermines their interests at the root,” the Russian leader added.

Recall that on September 26, a sharp drop in pressure was recorded on one of the two lines of Nord Stream 2.

In the evening of the same day, it became known about the pressure drop on both threads of Nord Stream 1.

About 110 billion cubic meters passed through pipelines annually.

m of raw materials.

Meanwhile, since the beginning of 2022, natural gas supplies from Russia to the EU have fallen by more than 80%, according to data from the International Monetary Fund.

In addition to stopping the Nord Streams, the delivery of energy through the Yamal-Europe pipeline was completely stopped due to restrictions from Poland, and Ukraine halved the transit of fuel from the Russian Federation to the European Union through its territory.

As a result, only the Turkish Stream is currently operating at full capacity among the pipelines that deliver raw materials to the EU, experts interviewed by RT admit.

However, this system is designed mainly for the southern countries of the EU and allows transporting no more than 16 billion cubic meters to Europe.

m per year.

“Pumping volumes have significantly decreased: if last year we supplied 150 billion cubic meters.

m, then by the end of 2022 we will be able to supply only about 25-30 billion cubic meters. The decrease in the presence of Russian energy carriers on European sites exacerbates the energy shortage in the region, ”Igor Yushkov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of Russia, told RT.

Experts from the World Bank also spoke about the intensification of the energy crisis.

According to the organization's experts, it is now impossible to accurately predict whether Europe will have enough raw materials for the coming months.

Analysts of the Energy Development Center expressed a similar opinion.

According to their estimates, this winter could be the most difficult for Europeans since the Second World War.

According to Gas Infrastructure Europe, as of November 13, 69.7 billion cubic meters were pumped into underground storage facilities in Europe.

m of gas.

However, even such high reserves of raw materials cannot guarantee the successful completion of the heating season for European countries, Gazprom experts believe.

“Note that some countries have already begun to use gas reserves from storage facilities.

At the same time, the load on UGS facilities (underground gas storage facilities. -

) in Europe will be higher than in previous years due to the changed logistics and sources of gas supply to the European market, ”the company’s specialists emphasized.

As Igor Yushkov said, against the backdrop of falling supplies of raw materials from the Russian Federation, the only way for Europe to stabilize the energy balance remains to increase purchases of liquefied natural gas, primarily from the United States.

Nevertheless, Europeans cannot fully cover their energy needs solely due to the import of American LNG, the expert believes.

“According to US companies, about 75% of all LNG produced in the US is already going to the European market, and by the end of the year the figure may grow even more.

Therefore, everything that was possible, they supply to the EU.

New LNG plants will be commissioned in America only from 2025, so Europe can wait for an increase in supplies no earlier than these dates,” Yushkov said.

Cost policy

According to analysts interviewed by RT, the launch of Nord Stream 2 can mitigate the consequences of the energy crisis in the EU.

According to Gazprom, the pressure in the main pipe that survived the sabotage remains, which means that it is in working order.

If the pipeline is certified, the Russian side is ready to promptly start deliveries, said the head of the company, Alexei Miller. 

In the meantime, the EU is refusing the proposal to launch the working thread of Nord Stream 2.

As previously noted in the German government, according to them, both threads of the pipeline system are damaged and there is no technical possibility to use the facility.

Europe's refusal to commission Nord Stream 2 is more of a political decision and does not correspond to the economic agenda.

This opinion was expressed in a conversation with RT by Mark Goykhman, chief analyst at Teletrade.

“The work of the Nord Stream gas pipelines is unlikely to be carried out in the foreseeable future.

Even if it is technically possible to pump through the remaining entire branch of Nord Stream 2, it will probably not be used.

Politically, the EU has taken a course towards minimizing gas supplies from Russia,” the expert noted.

• AFP

• © Ida Marie Odgaard / Ritzau Scanpix

At the same time, European consumers have already begun to pay for the lack of Russian energy carriers, says Artyom Deev, head of the analytical department at AMarkets.

According to him, Europe's costs for the purchase of alternative Russian gas have tripled.

“This has already led to a recession in the EU economy, which even experts from the European Central Bank have recognized.

Moreover, the shortage of raw materials and the high price for it provoked an increase in the costs of producers and the bankruptcy of a number of enterprises, not to mention a decrease in the standard of living of the population, ”added the RT interlocutor.

In October, inflation in the euro area accelerated to 10.6%, once again updating the historical record.

The main contribution to the growth of the indicator is made by the increase in the cost of energy, Goykhman believes.

The price of gas is currently above $1.1 thousand per 1 thousand cubic meters.

m, which is about one and a half times higher than a year ago, the expert gives an example.

“The EU is trying to attract all the LNG it can find in the world.

To do this, traders offer a higher price for the goods, which leads to an increase in the cost of energy for European residents and businesses.

The population has already reduced their spending as much as possible, as have manufacturers.

Of course, none of the Europeans will freeze to death, but the industry is in for an extremely difficult winter, ”concluded Igor Yushkov.