Russia Blames US for Nord Stream Blasts, Threatens Consequences

“Our assumption was that the US and several NATO allies were involved in this disgusting crime,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow on Thursday, saying the report by Seymour Hersh wasn’t a surprise for Russia. Ryabkov threatened unspecified “consequences” for Washington, the state RIA Novosti news service reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously accused the US and its allies of organizing September’s blasts without offering evidence. President Joe Biden flatly denied US responsibility, telling reporters to “just don’t listen to what Putin is saying.”

A Swedish investigation into ruptures of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines across the Baltic Sea to Germany from Russia detected residue of explosives and concluded that “grievous sabotage” caused the breakage, the country’s security service reported in November.