After Italy arrests suspect, Putin’s envoy criticises media’s ‘absurd claim’ of Russia blowing up Nord Stream

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill A. Dmitriev has criticised legacy media outlets for accusing Moscow of destroying its own Nord Stream pipelines and termed those allegations an “absurd claim.” His remarks come just days after Italian authorities detained a Ukrainian national linked to the 2022 blasts.

“Never forget exposed fake narratives. Legacy media pushed the absurd claim that Russia blew up Nord Stream, an absurd claim that Russia sabotaged its own energy infrastructure. Case study in narrative manufacturing: who funds, who frames, who amplifies. Same mechanisms to disinform over and over,” the envoy wrote in an X post.

The explosions in 2022 caused large leaks in the two pipelines that carried Russian gas to Europe. At the time, European officials reported spotting naval vessels near the leak sites, intensifying suspicions of sabotage, according to CNN.

The United States and Europe denounced the incident as “sabotage” and hinted at possible Russian involvement, but refrained from making direct accusations, CNN reported in September 2022

Moscow has consistently rejected responsibility for the blasts. In 2023, Russia requested a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the issue and demanded access to European investigations, but those appeals were denied, Al Jazeera reported.

Neither of the Nord Stream pipelines was actively supplying gas to Europe at the time of the leaks, though both remained pressurised. Both Russia and Ukraine denied involvement, as per CNN.

Italian police said the man was detained in the northern city of Rimini and would be handed over to Germany through an extradition procedure

According to CNN, Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrest of a suspect, identified only as Serhii K, under German privacy laws.

Prosecutors allege he was part of a group that planted explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines near Denmark’s Bornholm Island in September 2022, as per CNN.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday held a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, during which he expressed readiness to engage in talks with Putin.

Zelenskyy also emphasised expanding cooperation with African nations and urged the Global South to “send relevant signals” in support of peace.

In a post on X, he wrote, “I spoke with President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, at his request. I informed about the joint diplomatic efforts with our partners and the productive meetings with President Trump in Washington.” (ANI)