“Russian ship seen near explosion of gas pipe”… CIA warns of possible destruction

Amidst the ongoing battle between the West and Russia over the cause of the leak from the natural gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany, it is claimed that Russian navy ships were seen in the waters nearby at the time of the accident. It is also known that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has already warned Germany of the possibility of a gas pipeline explosion in June, raising the possibility that the accident was deliberate sabotage by Russia. Reuters said one more gas leak had been found, bringing the total to four from three.

There is also analysis that Russia, which is behind in Ukraine, is trying to compensate for the war through what is known as ‘hybrid war’, which combines election manipulation, hacking, fake news, and sabotage in as well as conventional weapons. . Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Linkevichs said the situation “seems to have entered a new phase of the hybrid war,” according to the Guardian.

Russian President Vladimir Putin officially announced the annexation of the four territories occupied by Ukraine on the 30th (local time). Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on the 29th that “the agreement to annex the occupied territories decided by referendum will be signed on the 30th.” Putin will speak at the signing ceremony after meeting with the chief executives of the four occupied territories before signing the agreement.

○ Sighting of Russian ships at the time of the leak

On the 28th, CNN reported that European intelligence officers inspected Russian naval vessels for two days on the 26th and 27th, when a leak occurred in three parts of the Baltic seabed from the ‘Nordstream-1’ gas pipelines and ‘Nordstream-2’ which connects Russia and Germany It is reported that the sight is in the nearby waters. A Danish military source also said, “Russian ships have been observed frequently.” The New York Times (NYT) also reported that the CIA had already warned major European countries, including Germany, about the possibility of a Northstream attack in June. The Times, citing British Ministry of Defense sources, raised the possibility that Russia could have secretly transported explosives by an unmanned submarine next to a gas pipeline. At least a few months ago, Russia launched an unmanned submarine from a small vessel, such as a fishing boat, and dropped an explosive next to a gas pipe. It is believed that the operation of an explosive device caused the accident by introducing a noise source that emits a certain frequency into the water.

The amount of damage also increases. The German government believes that three out of four submarine gas pipelines are permanently damaged. If the gas pipeline is not repaired promptly, a large amount of seawater will flow in and the pipeline will inevitably corrode. The European Union (EU) has begun to analyze the environmental impact as a result of the spill, believing that emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas, will also surge.

○ Norway sends troops to oil and gas facilities

European countries are increasing their energy security. The Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Garsture, Europe’s largest supplier of natural gas, said on the 28th that it would deploy troops at oil and gas facilities, saying, “All attacks on maritime facilities by NATO member countries will be treated as an alliance .” he emphasized that

The Joe Biden administration has invested an additional $1.1 billion (about KRW 1.6 trillion) in Ukraine, including support for 18 additional high-speed mobile artillery rocket systems that ‘HIMARS’ decided to make. The EU also decided to push for additional sanctions against Russia, including a price cap on Russian crude oil and restrictions on crude oil imports of 7 billion euros (about 9.7 trillion won).

The former Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, said on the 28th that “President Putin is not bluffing” and that she is concerned about the nuclear threat from Russia. CIA Director William Burns said that “President Putin’s threat must be taken seriously”.

Paris = Correspondent Jo Eun-ah achim@donga.com

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