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☆ NATO says Moscow may sabotage undersea cables as part of war on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, May 3 (Reuters) - Russia may sabotage undersea cables to punish Western nations for supporting Ukraine, NATO's intelligence chief warned on Wednesday, as the alliance boosts efforts to protect undersea infrastructure following the Nord Stream attacks. "There are heightened concerns that Russia may target undersea cables and other critical infrastructure in an effort to disrupt Western life, to gain leverage against those nations that are providing security to Ukraine," David Cattler told reporters. As concerns grow over the security of undersea cables, Western countries are setting out to turn the North Sea into a green power engine, planning a spate of new wind parks that will be linked to the mainland by cables. Other undersea cables transport some 95% of internet traffic around the world at speeds of about 200 terabytes per second, with 200 of these 400 cables deemed critical, according to NATO. NATO significantly increased the number of ships patrolling the North and Baltic seas after the Nord Stream blasts, and established a Critical Undersea Infrastructure Protection Cell to improve cooperation with industry, capitals and experts.

☆ Russian navy vessels seen near Nord Stream before blasts - Nordic broadcasters report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Russian navy ships were traced using satellite images and intercepted radio communication from the Russian fleet, the four broadcasters, Denmark's DR, Norway's NRK, Sweden's SVT and Finland's Yle, said. Authorities in Denmark, Sweden and Germany have said the explosions that ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and newly-built Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines that link Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea were deliberate. The Kremlin on Tuesday denied Russian ships had any involvement in the sabotage and called for results of the investigations to be published. The Russian ships traced by the four broadcasters had all switched off their AIS signal, an automatic tracking system used on ship, they said. One of the ships in the area was Russian navy research vessel Sibiryakov, satellite images indicated.

☆ Russia's military is more active in the Atlantic, and NATO fears it could sabotage undersea cables to disrupt countries supporting Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's military is more active in the Atlantic than in previous years, Western militaries say. NATO's intelligence chief warns that this could lead to the targeting of undersea infrastructure. Officials have warned for years about an increasing threat against undersea pipelines and cables. AP Photo/Elena Ignatyeva, FileThe possibility that a foreign adversary might target undersea cables and other critical infrastructure has long worried officials in NATO countries. Two years later, then-British parliament member Rishi Sunak described undersea cables as "indispensable yet insecure."

☆ A Russian navy ship that carries a mini-submarine photographed near the Nord Stream gas pipelines days before sabotage explosions, a report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian navy ship was photographed near the Nord Stream pipelines before they were blown up. It has previously been reported that various other Russian vessels had been photographed in the area, but this is the first time it has been confirmed that the specific Russian vessel SS-750 was sighted. A former Danish intelligence officer and now analyst Jacob Kaarsbo said that the information "sheds light on what was going on in the area in the days before". Gas leaks were reported in the pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to northern Germany, after the suspected sabotage. The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were not operational at the time of the attack due to disputes between Russia and the European Union.

☆ Russia's foreign minister joins Tucker Carlson's Kremlin fanbase, blasting the TV host's ousting as an offense to freedom of speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke out in support of the now-ousted Tucker Carlson. He cited Carlson leaving Fox News as an example of poor press standards in the US. "I heard that Tucker Carlson has left Fox News. Lavrov's comments about Carlson were brief, but he isn't alone in the Kremlin's praise for the right-wing TV figure. Fox News announced that it parted ways with Tucker Carlson on Monday without specifying why the host was ousted.

☆ Trump is trying to win more GOP voters with bizarre takes on the Ukraine war and praise for Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Trump made repeated false and misleading claims about the Ukraine war during a Fox News interview. Trump praised Putin as "very smart" amid the stalemated and brutal fight the Russian leader ordered. Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin "loved" Ukraine, while acknowledging that the unprovoked war Putin ordered has devastated the former Soviet republic. "Ukraine is being obliterated," Trump said at another point in the interview, while falsely suggesting that Ukrainian forces are not performing "better than anticipated." Polling has shown that Republican voters are less likely than Democratic voters to support continued assistance to Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Kyiv potentially willing to negotiate on Crimea; Swedish investigators still stumped on Nord Stream sabotage
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Kyiv has disclosed a rare willingness to negotiate with Russia — depending on the outcome of its spring offensive, a top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview. The discussions would focus on Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, and would take place if Ukrainian forces reach Crimea's "administrative border," the official said. Swedish investigators examining last year's Nord Stream pipeline blast say it remains unclear who was behind the sabotage, but that work on the case is continuing "unconditionally." Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is in China for a three-day state visit, during which he hopes to dissuade Beijing from supporting Russia in its war in Ukraine, among other things.

☆ Swedish prosecutor says may be difficult to determine who blew up Nord Stream pipelines
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, April 6 (Reuters) - It will likely be difficult to determine who blew up the Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia and Germany in the Baltic Sea last year, Sweden's prosecution authority, which is investigating the incident, said on Thursday. The Sept. 26 explosions at the pipelines connecting Russia and Germany occurred in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. The blast in the Swedish zone happened at a depth of 80 meters and the prosecutor said investigating it was complicated. While no conclusion has been drawn there have been a number of theories as to who blew up the pipelines and how. Germany has confirmed its investigators raided a ship in January that may have been used to transport the explosives used to blow up the pipelines.

☆ Putin berates US and EU envoys, top official says US aid fuelling Ukraine war's 'hot phase'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The ambassadors were among 17 who presented their diplomatic credentials to Putin at a televised ceremony in the Kremlin. Putin told new U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy that U.S. support for a revolution in Ukraine in 2014 had led to the current situation where Russia and Ukraine were in conflict. Putin took a similar line with the new EU ambassador, Roland Galharague, telling him "the European Union initiated a geopolitical confrontation with Russia". In his opening remarks, Putin said Russia was open to constructive partnership with every country and would not isolate itself.

☆ Putin berates US and EU ambassadors at Kremlin ceremony
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 5 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday told the new U.S. and EU ambassadors in blunt language that their countries were responsible for a dramatic deterioration in relations since Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine last year. The ambassadors were among 17 who formally presented their diplomatic credentials to Putin at a televised ceremony in the Kremlin. Putin told new U.S. ambassador Lynne Tracy that U.S. support for a revolution in Ukraine in 2014 had led to the current situation where Russia and Ukraine were in conflict. Putin took a similar line with the new EU ambassador, Roland Galharague, who took up his position in September, telling him that "the European Union initiated a geopolitical confrontation with Russia". Russia says it was forced to intervene in Ukraine to stem Western interference that was becoming a threat to its security.

[1/2] The landfall facilities of the 'Nord Stream 1' gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. Russia has a 51% stake in Nord Stream 1 through a subsidiary of state-owned energy group Gazprom (GAZP.MM). While the import of Russian crude oil and oil products is banned under European Union (EU) sanctions, Russian gas imports are allowed. In September 2022, several unexplained underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and newly-built Nord Stream 2 pipelines, each more than 1,200-km-long, that link Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea. Gazprom and Swiss-based Nord Stream AG did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

☆ Object near Nord Stream 2 pipeline poses no safety risk - Denmark
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

COPENHAGEN, March 29 (Reuters) - An object found close to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea appeared to be a maritime buoy and does not pose a safety risk, the Danish Energy Agency said on Wednesday. The object, which was retrieved on Tuesday by the Danish navy, was discovered during an inspection of the last remaining intact pipeline by Swiss-based operator Nord Stream 2 AG. The object does not pose a safety risk," the agency said in a statement. Last week, Denmark invited the Russian-controlled Nord Stream operator to assist in retrieving the object. A representative from Nord Stream 2 AG was present during the operation, which was carried out at a depth of 73 meters, the agency said.

☆ Denmark salvages mystery object near Nord Stream 2 pipeline
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

BORNHOLM, DENMARK - SEPTEMBER 27: Danish Defense shows the gas leaking at Nord Stream 2 seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark on September 27, 2022. Danish authorities have salvaged an object found close to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, the Danish Energy Agency said on Wednesday. The object, which appeared to be a maritime smoke buoy, did not represent a safety risk, the agency said in a statement.

☆ Russian embassy says US wants to play down involvement in Nord Stream blasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 29 (Reuters) - The Russian embassy in the U.S. said on Wednesday Washington is seeking to play down damaging information about the alleged involvement of its intelligence services in last year's blasts that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines. Moscow failed on Monday to get the U.N. Security Council to ask for an independent inquiry into explosions in September that ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia and Germany and spewed gas into the Baltic Sea. Russian officials reacted angrily and the Kremlin said on Tuesday it would keep demanding an international investigation. The Russian embassy in the U.S. said in a statement posted on its Telegram messaging platform that Washington is doing "everything possible" to prevent "impartial efforts" establish circumstances around the explosions. "We see this as an obvious attempt ... to play down information from reputable journalists that is damaging for the United States about the likely direct involvement of American intelligence services," the embassy said in the statement posted in Russian.

☆ US has replaced Russia as Europe's biggest crude oil supplier
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —The United States is now the biggest supplier of crude oil to the European Union. In December, 18% of the bloc’s crude imports came from America, EU data office Eurostat said Tuesday. Oil independenceImports of Russian crude into the bloc were volatile between February and April last year, Eurostat said. By the end of the year, “the EU’s biggest suppliers of crude oil were the United States, Norway, and Kazakhstan, showing that the EU managed to adapt to the changing oil market landscape and virtually remove its dependence on Russian oil,” Eurostat said. India and China, in particular, have ramped up oil imports from Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Russia may demand compensation over Nord Stream explosions -diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Gazprom PAO FollowMOSCOW, March 27 (Reuters) - Moscow may seek compensation over damage from last year's explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, news agency RIA Novosti reported on Monday, citing a Russian diplomat. The pipelines, which connect Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea, were hit by unexplained blasts last September in what Moscow called an act of "international terrorism". "We do not rule out later the raising of the issue of compensation for damage as a result of the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipelines," Dmitry Birichevsky, the head of Russia's Foreign Ministry department for economic cooperation, said in an interview with the news agency. He added that Western countries were opposing a Russia-prepared draft U.N. Security Council resolution urging an independent international investigation of the Nord Stream blasts. "Despite this, we intend to continue to insist on a comprehensive and open international investigation with the mandatory participation of Russian representatives," Birichevsky said.

☆ Russia fails at UN to get Nord Stream blast inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, March 27 (Reuters) - Russia failed on Monday to get the U.N. Security Council to ask for an independent inquiry into explosions in September on the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia and Germany that spewed gas into the Baltic Sea. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, France, the United States or Britain to pass. They said in a joint letter to the Security Council that the damage was caused by "powerful explosions due to sabotage." The United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have also called the incident "an act of sabotage." Russia has complained that it has not been kept informed about the ongoing national investigations.

☆ A mystery object found by the Nord Stream pipeline could help provide clues about who was behind sabotage attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A mysterious cylindrical object was found on the seabed by the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. A photo of the cylindrical object was released on Thursday, which authorities discovered on the seabed during an inspection of the last remaining intact Nord Stream pipeline, Reuters reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was a positive sign that Denmark had invited Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, to help identify the object. Russian energy giant Gazprom has a majority stake and German, Dutch, and French companies own the rest. The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which transported natural gas from Russia to Germany, were not operational at the time of the attack due to disputes between Russia and the European Union.

☆ Kremlin: important to identify object found next to Nord Stream pipeline
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, March 24 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Friday said it was important to identify an object discovered next to one of the Nord Stream pipelines, and said the ongoing investigation into blasts that struck the pipelines last September must be conducted with full transparency. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also told reporters it was a positive sign that Denmark had invited the Russian-controlled operator of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to help salvage an unidentified object found close to the Baltic Sea pipelines. "It's certainly positive news when the owner of the pipeline is invited to take part in very important phases of the investigation," Peskov said. Last week, Danish authorities said a tubular object, protruding around 40 cm (16 inches) from the seabed and 10 cm in diameter, had been found during an inspection of the last remaining intact Nord Stream pipeline by its operator, Nord Stream 2 AG. Three of the four pipelines of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas links were hit in a still-unexplained explosion last September.

COPENHAGEN, March 23 (Reuters) - Denmark on Thursday invited the Russian-controlled operator of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to help salvage an unidentified object found close to the only remaining intact gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea. "With a view to further clarifying the nature of the object, Danish authorities have decided to salvage the object with assistance from the Danish Defence," the country's Energy Agency said in a statement on Thursday. "The Danish Energy Agency has in that context invited the owner of the pipeline, Nord Stream 2 AG, to participate in the operation," it said, adding it was awaiting a response from the operator. The pipeline operator is controlled by Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom (GAZP.MM). It was not clear if he referred to the same object that Danish authorities will attempt to salvage.

March 22 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for a two-day summit in Moscow this week. UKRAINEPutin said Chinese proposals could be used as the basis of a peace settlement in Ukraine, but nothing emerged from the meeting to tie his hands militarily. Bottom line: The agreed summit language suits Putin's purposes, enabling him to continue fighting while saying he is open to talk peace. Bottom line: Russia is still waiting on a deal and China has powerful leverage to secure advantageous price terms. Putin said Chinese companies would be first in line to replace Western companies that have quit Russia.

☆ In show of unity, NATO and EU heads visit North Sea gas platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Nora Buli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Equinor CEO Anders Opedal visit the Troll A gas platform in the North Sea, Norway March 17, 2023. Ole Berg-Rusten /NTB/via REUTERSTROLL A PLATFORM, North Sea, March 17 (Reuters) - The heads of NATO and the European Commission flew on Friday to a North Sea platform to discuss the security of supplies and infrastructure, a visit underlining Norway's importance for gas shipments since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Troll A platform extracts gas from Norway's biggest gas field. After a drop in Russian flows, the Nordic country last year became the largest gas supplier to the EU. The field accounts for one third of daily Norwegian gas exports to Europe.

☆ Why Won’t the West Let Ukraine Win Against Russia?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( John Bolton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

New intelligence suggesting that a “pro-Ukraine group” sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines in September triggered surprising political blowback in Europe. But even if Ukraine masterminded the raid, why would successfully disrupting Nord Stream imperil foreign assistance? Such a potentially harmful reaction exposes a larger problem, which has repeatedly manifested itself since Russia’s unprovoked aggression. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been spooked by Moscow’s threats to “escalate” the conflict if Ukraine isn’t kept on a tight leash. Although President Biden failed, indeed barely tried, to deter Russia’s war, Vladimir Putin has masterfully deterred NATO from responding robustly enough to end the conflict promptly and victoriously.

ROSTOCK, Germany—The small marina on the edge of this north German city is a popular summertime spot for recreational sailors. German intelligence believes it was also the jumping-off point for the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, an assault on Europe’s civilian energy infrastructure unprecedented since World War II. On Sept. 6, a small group set out from Rostock aboard a rented yacht, the Andromeda, a slender 50-foot-long, single-masted sloop, ostensibly on a pleasure cruise around Baltic Sea ports. Within two weeks, the group returned the boat and disappeared.

☆ How Silicon Valley Bank Collapsed in 36 Hours: What Went Wrong
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nord Stream Explosions: What to Know About the Investigations Investigators searching for answers behind explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines last year said a rental yacht may be linked to the incident, while some officials have ruled out Russian involvement. WSJ explores what we know so far. Photo composite: Danish Defence Command via Reuters/Uwe Driest

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