BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th October, 2022) German federal police and armed forces (Bundeswehr) have started their reconnaissance mission to investigate recent acts of sabotage on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, Tagesschau news service reported on Sunday, citing a letter of the country's defense ministry to the Defense Committee of the Bundestag.
The document was originally obtained by Tagesschau's affiliated networks, WDR and NDR.
According to the letter, Federal Police President Dieter Romann last week filed a request to the Bundeswehr for administrative support "to assist in producing a situational report on the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea." The request was approved after the Federal Ministry of Defense "determined the available capacities of the navy and legally examined them."
According to the news service, the federal police are investigating the explosions with the help of divers and special technology. Two Bundeswehr vessels have also been deployed to the Baltic Sea.
Tagesschau noted that two ships of the German navy, minesweeper "Dillingen" and multi-purpose vessel "Mittelgrund," sailed from their respective bases in the cities of Kiel and Eckernforde to the pipelines on Friday. The vessels were carrying divers from the federal police who had been tasked with taking photos of breaches in the pipelines.
German Attorney General is considering starting criminal investigations over the acts of sabotage on the Nord Stream pipelines, Tagesschau reported, citing Justice Minister Marco Buschmann.
On September 26, a rapid gas pressure drop and leakage were registered on gas pipelines of the Russian-led Nord Stream network that runs under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. According to Sweden, Germany and Denmark, the incidents could be a result of sabotage. The operator, Nord Stream AG, said it was impossible to estimate a time frame for repair work.
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office has been investigating the pipeline incidents as acts of international terrorism.
