Latest theory on pipeline explosions questioned

COPENHAGEN — A Danish military analyst on Wednesday questioned the claim made by the United States and German media that a nonstate actor was responsible for last September's Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions.

"It is a demanding operation to get down and dive at that depth and place so much explosive, so it would be a bit ridiculous to me if someone did it from a rented yacht," Danish news agency Ritzau quoted Anders Puck Nielsen from the Defense Academy as saying.

According to Nielsen, the latest theory is a timely and "reasonable solution" for NATO.

"If you look at it politically, it suits the US, NATO and Ukraine very well if you can point to a nonstate actor as some kind of terrorist organization or saboteurs," Nielsen told Ritzau.

The New York Times has cited new intelligence suggesting that a pro-Ukrainian group carried out the attack on the pipelines that run under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.

However, the newspaper failed to identify a source for the claim that a rented yacht was used to perpetrate the act.

'Diverting attention'

"Obviously, the authors of the attack want to divert attention," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the state RIA news agency, adding that the information had been planted.

"How can American officials assume anything without an investigation?

"The very least that the Nord Stream shareholder countries and the United Nations must demand is an urgent, transparent investigation with the participation of everyone who can shed light," Peskov said.

Russia has repeatedly complained about being excluded from European investigations into the explosions.

Western countries warned against reaching premature conclusions on who was responsible for blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines.

"There are ongoing national investigations and I think it's right to wait until those are finalized before we say anything more about who was behind it," said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called for "a clear distinction", adding that he is warning against jumping to conclusions.

Pistorius said earlier the likelihood was "equally high" that it could have been a "false flag operation staged to blame Ukraine".

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Fontelles told reporters: "As long as investigations into Nord Stream blasts are ongoing, we cannot draw conclusions."

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said the media reports were a "little bit strange" and had "nothing to do" with the Ukrainian government.