Nord Stream: Denmark has recovered an object found near a sabotaged gas pipeline

Europe 1 with AFP 17:24 p.m., March 29, 2023

Denmark has pulled up a cylindrical object spotted near the sabotaged Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that turns out to be a smoke buoy, its Energy Agency said Wednesday. "The recovery was carried out with the participation of a representative of the company that owns Nord Stream 2 AG," of which Russia's Gazprom is the majority shareholder, the agency said in a statement. The operation, carried out under the leadership of the Danish Defence at a depth of 73 metres, ended on 28 March. "Investigations indicate that the object is an empty smoke buoy used for visual marking," the statement said.

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Responsibility for the attack, still a mystery

The discovery of this object, spotted by Gazprom and which poses no security risk, was revealed by Vladimir Putin himself two weeks ago, the Russian president evoking a possible role in the sabotage. "Specialists believe that it may be an antenna to receive a signal to activate an explosive device, which could be placed in this (part) of the pipeline," the Russian head of state told Russia 24 television.

Nearly six months after the explosions that hit the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, responsibility for the submarine attack remains a mystery despite criminal investigations in the countries of the region (Germany, Sweden and Denmark).

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In early March, Germany announced it was investigating a boat suspected of having transported the explosives to the site, but could not yet draw conclusions on the identity of the perpetrators. A "pro-Ukrainian group" would be behind the sabotage, said the New York Times in early March, based on information consulted by US intelligence, but without the involvement of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.