The Danish newspaper Dagbladet Information presented a new theory about how and with what kind of equipment the Russians sabotaged the gas pipelines.
A suspicious convoy of six Russian ships has been reported to have traveled to the area where the Nord Stream pipelines were blown up last September before the sabotage, says a Danish Dagbladet Information magazine (you switch to another service).
According to the Danish newspaper, one of the detected vessels is a “special vessel” SS-750, which can carry a mini-submarine. According to experts, this type of equipment could have blown up the gas pipes.
The movements of the ships have been determined from information received from anonymous sources and from satellite images. According to them, a convoy of six Russian ships had left the port of Kaliningrad towards the island of Bornholm. The convoy included, among others, the search and rescue vessel SB-123 and the 48-meter tug Aleksandr Frolov.
Based on satellite images and AIS signals sent by the tugboat, it has been established that the special vessel SS-750, which was part of the convoy, left Kaliningrad on September 21 at 00:22.
AIS is the same type of transponder used in airplanes to identify them.
SS-750 has sailed without AIS transmitting identification information. According to the newspaper, on the northern side of Poland, the AIS of the tug was also switched off.
Additional confirmation of the movements of the Russian “special vessel” was received from the Danish patrol vessel P524 Nymfen. It was sent on the 21st of September together with ships of the Swedish and German Defense Forces to the east of Bornholm. The patrol boat captured at least 26 photos of the Russian ship.
Swedish and Polish surveillance planes also flew in the area. In addition, there were also American ships nearby as well as a surveillance helicopter.
According to Danskalaislehti, Nymfen was in the area for the first time in five years.
A senior analyst who previously worked in an intelligence service, Jacob Kaarsbo think tank Europasta assessed in an interview with the magazine that the sailing routes of the Danish patrol boat and international ships were very unusual.
The Norwegian Defense Forces have also confirmed that a special vessel has been spotted in the area where the pipes were blown up.
– This is a clear confirmation. The ship is part of Russia’s submarine and underwater operations complementary capability. In theory, the ship could have been there for other reasons, but it is special that the ship has been in that place at that exact time, says the analyst interviewed by the magazine Oliver Alexander.
Also worked in the Swedish civil and military intelligence services Joachim von Braun considers it likely that Russia is behind the explosions.
– The mentioned group of six ships has been assembled for this type of activity. It is very likely that these ships were involved in a sabotage operation, says von Braun.
Danskalaislehti also directly asked the Danish Defense Forces whether a patrol boat was sent to fight the SS-750 vessel equipped with a mini-submarine, but the Defense Forces has not answered the question.
The Nord Stream explosions are currently being investigated by Danish, Swedish and German authorities. It is not known when these studies will be completed.
Russia has denied its involvement in the events and has demanded the opportunity to participate in the investigations. Previously, it has been estimated that a “state entity” is behind the explosions. There have been several theories about the perpetrator. In addition to Russia, the United States and Ukrainian parties have been suspected of sabotage.
The Swedish prosecutor’s office investigating the explosions said at the beginning of April that it is possible that the perpetrator of the attacks will never be found.