Russia told Sweden that the damage to Nord Stream came from outside

MOSCOW, 11 Oct — PRIME. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, in a letter to the Swedish authorities with a request to involve Russia in the investigation of Nord Stream, said that the damage to the pipeline was caused from outside, the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reports, citing an official.

Earlier, the Russian embassy in Stockholm confirmed to RIA Novosti that Mishustin appealed to Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson with a request for Russia’s participation in the investigation of the terrorist attack on Nord Stream.

According to Aftonbladet, the Russian side insists on participating in the investigation of the Swedish Security Service, as it is about “the most important object of the energy infrastructure.” In addition, according to the newspaper, Mishustin in the letter pointed to a number of technical data, in particular, to indicators of internal pressure in the pipeline, indicating that the explosion occurred outside, and not inside the pipe.

According to the publication, Andersson does not intend to allow the Russian Federation to investigate the terrorist attacks on Nord Stream due to the preservation of “data confidentiality as part of the preliminary investigation.” At the same time, she stressed that Russia is free to conduct inspections and analyzes of the pipeline.

The attacks took place on September 26 at once on two Russian export gas pipelines to Europe – Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2. Germany, Denmark and Sweden do not rule out targeted sabotage. The Nord Stream operator Nord Stream AG reported that the state of emergency on gas pipelines is unprecedented and it is impossible to estimate the repair time. The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation initiated a case on an act of international terrorism after the damage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

Earlier, Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod announced the government’s determination to refuse Russia’s participation in the investigation of the sabotage and the identification of those responsible. As the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova stated, only if Russia is involved in the investigation of terrorist attacks can it be considered reliable and objective.