US military helicopters circled Nord Stream for hours in September

MOSCOW, 28 Sep — PRIME. In the area of ​​the later gas leaks from the Nord Stream near the island of Bornholm, US military helicopters regularly flew during September, circling for hours over the water area where the gas pipelines run, according to Flightradar24 data.

In particular, at the beginning of the month, a US Navy Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopter loitered over the location of pipelines in the Baltic Sea near Bornholm for three days in a row – on September 1, 2 and 3.

On Flightradar24, it is shown as an unidentified aircraft, even without a helicopter icon, however, the 24-bit ICAO code indicated in the description makes it possible to unambiguously establish the model – Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk – as well as its belonging to the American aircraft. This code is verified through open resources that collect data on military aircraft.

Moreover, the American helicopter, judging by the trajectories on Flightradar24, flew into the area of ​​loitering over the Nord Streams from Polish Gdansk.

It is curious that on September 2, almost in parallel with the US military, a military helicopter NH90 of the Dutch Navy was flying in the vicinity of Bornholm Island, probably observing the activities of the Americans.

US helicopters, according to Flightradar24, also flew over the branches of Russian gas pipelines on September 10 and September 19. On the night of September 22-23 and September 25-26, US military pilots in Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopters were in the air for a long time near the area of ​​the future leak.

In all cases, the trajectories of the US military speak of observation flights or loitering with other targets over a specific section of the water area. Helicopters that made sorties on the night of September 22-23 and 25-26 have especially confusing tracks.

On Monday, September 26, incidents occurred simultaneously on two Russian export gas pipelines to Europe – two gas leaks were discovered at Nord Stream and one at Nord Stream 2 near Bornholm Island.