Moscow has blamed the British Navy for the explosions that caused leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in Baltic Sea waters at the end of September.
«According to available information, it was representatives of this British Navy unit who took part in the planning, preparation and execution of a terrorist attack in the Baltic Sea on September 26 this year,» the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
A former British Navy officer has responded that this is «a pure lie.» «We all know the Russians did it,» former vice admiral Chris Parry has told Sky News.
«You always have to be suspicious of what the Ministry of Defense says. It can hardly be regarded as the Ministry of Truth,» he said.
«Russian propaganda always accuses everyone of doing what they have actually done. Neither the Royal Navy nor anyone in the British maritime industry has the capability to blow up those pipelines,» he added.
At least 50 meters of pipeline is believed to have been destroyed by «powerful explosions» that caused up to four indentations, according to the Danish Police investigation.
Danish, German and Swedish authorities are working to clarify what happened, but no concrete results have been published so far.
Western leaders have not directly accused Russia for this incident, the EU recurrently reproaches Moscow for using gas and its supply as a weapon.
