BERLIN, July 30. /TASS/. The impunity in the case of the sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines may trigger new similar precedents, Russia’s ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev said in response to a question from TASS.
The diplomat noted that Russia is closely monitoring the investigation into the sabotage of the pipelines.
"One thing is clear, and the German government, as well as the governments of other countries, Denmark and Sweden, have acknowledged that a terrorist act has been committed against critical international energy infrastructure," he said. According to him, data on colossal methane emissions has now been published.
"In addition to the enormous environmental damage, there was a significant financial damage, including to our country, and economic damage to Germany. Someone must be held accountable for this, as impunity breeds further precedents. This is evident from Ukraine's recent attacks on the Kazakhstan pipeline consortium, which were recently discussed at the highest level during the Russian-Kazakhstan summit," Nechayev said.
Earlier, the German Prosecutor General's Office said it had charged a Ukrainian citizen, Sergey Kuznetsov, who is suspected of being involved in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. The agency believes that he and his accomplices prepared a plan for the sabotage on behalf of Ukrainian government agencies.
Kuznetsov is currently held in a detention center in Hamburg, where the trial is expected to take place. He was detained in Italy last summer and extradited to Germany. The Higher Regional Court of Hamburg official told TASS that a decision on the trial and the acceptance of the case has not yet been made. According to the court, the deadline for the defense to submit its reviews and petitions has not yet expired.
On September 26, 2022, unprecedented damage was reported on three lines of the Nord Stream pipeline and the unfinished Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office initiated a case on international terrorism.