ROME, August 27. /TASS/. In Europe, efforts are underway to downplay what is the largest act of sabotage in history - the undermining of the Nord Stream gas pipelines - to the point of absurdity. As journalist and observer Giorgio Bianchi pointed out in a conversation with a TASS correspondent, the silence prevailing in the press reflects an attempt by European authorities to conceal the truth.

"European leaders are vocally advocating rearmament in response to a supposed threat from Russia, yet, to date, the most significant attacks on critical energy infrastructure have been carried out solely by Ukraine - targeting both the Nord Stream pipelines and the pipeline in Hungary. Europe is deliberately minimizing these serious incidents. This is blatant hypocrisy and an ideology that runs counter to its own interests," Bianchi stated. He also highlighted the media’s reticence regarding the detention of a Ukrainian suspect believed to be involved in the sabotage near Rimini.

"I would be interested to see how the front pages would react if the suspect were Russian. Let’s not forget that when the gas pipelines were blown up in 2022, Western media immediately pointed the finger at Russia. Such accusations are outright absurd," he added.

Earlier, Russia’s acting Permanent Representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, criticized the double standards exhibited by Western nations concerning the terrorist attack on the Nord Stream pipeline. During a Security Council meeting, he emphasized that these inconsistencies only underscore Western disinterest in an objective investigation.

He pointed out that "an extremely alarming trend has emerged," whereby some Western officials linked the sabotage to the Ukrainian crisis, despite the incident’s clear focus on the destruction of critical international underwater infrastructure. Polyansky condemned this approach as a "short-sighted and dangerous policy" that effectively categorizes terrorists into "good" and "bad," thus undermining global efforts to combat terrorism.

Last week, Italian authorities announced the detention of Sergey Kuznetsov, a 49-year-old Ukrainian citizen suspected of involvement in the Nord Stream explosions. He was detained at a local resort under a European arrest warrant issued by Germany. The German Prosecutor General’s Office, which continues the investigation, suspects that Kuznetsov "was part of a group that planted explosive devices on gas pipelines near the island of Bornholm in September 2022." Reports suggest that the suspect was a career officer in Ukrainian special services. An Italian court is expected to decide on his extradition to Germany.

On September 26, 2022, sabotage activities targeted three lines of the Nord Stream and the uncommissioned Nord Stream 2, causing extensive damage to the pipelines. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed confidence that the explosions were carried out with US support. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has launched an investigation into this act of international terrorism.