Putin claims Nord stream pipeline was 'attacked'
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The Russian President has blamed damage to the Nord Stream gas supply line on attacks conducted on the orders of “Anglo-Saxon” leaders. Vladimir Putin used his address to the Kremlin on Friday to announce plans to annex four Ukrainian regions which are under illegal occupation by Moscow’s military forces. He went on to denounce suggestions of further Western sanctions against Russia and blamed the recent disruption to the European gas supply on “sabotage” by “Anglo-Saxon” powers.
Speaking from Moscow, President Putin said: “Sanctions were not enough for the Anglo-Saxons: they moved on to sabotage.
“It is hard to believe but it is a fact that they organised the blasts on the Nord Stream international gas pipelines, which run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
“In fact, they have begun to destroy the pan-European energy infrastructure.
“It is clear to everyone who benefits from this. Of course, he who benefits did it.”
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Vladimir Putin has proclaimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions in an escalation of his war and taking the conflict into an unpredictable new phase.
Eight years after Russia seized Crimea, following an invasion and a similar vote, Putin now claims control over Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
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Vladimir Putin added: “There are calls for imposing more and more sanctions on Russia and the leaders of Europe can see to that.
“But, they must realise that when they are deprived of Russian resources and Russian energy, they will suffer a heavy blow to their own industries.
“This is not just being subservient to the United States by Europe, this is a direct betrayal of their own people.
“What we saw recently was a direct diversion and direct attacks on the Nord Stream pipeline.”
Leaks in both the Nord Stream One and Nord Stream Two pipelines from Russia were discovered at the beginning of this week. The European Union and NATO have suggested damage to the major gas supply lines between Russia and Germany could be the product of deliberate sabotage by the Kremlin.
Leaks in both the Nord Stream One and Nord Stream Two pipelines from Russia were discovered at the beginning of this week. The European Union and NATO have suggested damage to the major gas supply lines between Russia and Germany could be the product of deliberate sabotage by the Kremlin.
NATO reported: “All currently available information indicates that this is the result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage.”
A joint statement issued on behalf of all 27 member states of the EU read: “These incidents are not a coincidence and affect us all. All available information indicates those leaks are the result of a deliberate act.”
Moscow has fiercely denied involvement in any sabotage plot and has instead suggested Western powers are behind the plot to disrupt energy supplies. Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, branded allegations of Russian sabotage “absurd,” noting that a Western tendency to blame the Kremlin was “predictable”.
Neither pipeline was in operation at the time of the leak. The Nord Stream One pipeline had gas supplies from Russia shut off after the Kremlin claimed the network required urgent “maintenance”. The Nord Stream Two project was still in development when Russia invaded Ukraine and was hastily abandoned as the conflict escalated.
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In addition to blaming “Anglo-Saxons” for deliberate infrastructure sabotage, President Putin formally declared Kremlin plans to annex four regions within Ukrainian territory.
The announcement comes following a series of Russian-organised “pseudo-referendums” in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk and the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Kremlin media claimed civilians in the occupied territories voted in favour of joining the Russian Federation, reporting up to 99 percent of votes were in support of annexation.
In response to President Putin’s speech, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The world must never accept your sham referendums or your cruel and illegal attempt to colonise Ukraine.
“We stand with the people of Ukraine and will support them without flinching until their country is whole and free.”
The news comes as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has travelled to Kyiv to meet his Ukrainian counterpart and outline the UK’s continued support to the defending forces.
Prime Minister Liz Truss has declared: “We will not hesitate to take further action, including imposing more sanctions to cripple Putin’s war machine. We will ensure he loses this illegal war.”
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