AFP | | Posted by Lingamgunta Nirmitha Rao
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused the West of organising blasts that resulted in a number of fuel leaks on the Nord Stream fuel pipelines from Russia to Europe.
“Sanctions will not be sufficient for the West, they’ve switched to sabotage. Unbelievable, however it’s a truth!” Putin mentioned throughout a televised speech at a Kremlin ceremony to annex 4 Moscow-occupied areas of Ukraine.
“By organising explosions on the Nord Stream worldwide fuel pipelines that run alongside the underside of the Baltic Sea they really began destroying European power infrastructure,” Putin mentioned.
“It’s clear to everybody who advantages from this,” Putin added, with out offering additional particulars.
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Unexplained fuel leaks, preceded by two explosions, occurred on the Nord Stream 1 and a pair of pipelines on Monday.
Moscow and Washington each denied involvement within the incident.
The Nord Stream 1 and a pair of pipelines have been shrouded in political tensions because the Kremlin despatched troops to Ukraine in February.
Russia minimize fuel provides to Europe in suspected retaliation in opposition to Western sanctions, however the pipelines nonetheless contained fuel although they weren’t operational.