The United Kingdom is dismissing the Kremlin’s claims that British military “specialists” played a role in September explosions on strategic energy pipelines linking Russian gas fields to Northern Europe.
“We’re carefully monitoring the situation, but it is right to not be drawn into these sorts of distractions, which is part of the Russian playbook,” a spokesman for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters on Nov. 1.
Russia claims to have evidence that British operatives, working in tandem with Ukrainian forces, participated in an Oct. 29 drone attack on Russian naval vessels docked in the Crimean port of Sevastopol.
The Russian Defense Ministry has also asserted that the same unit of British “specialists” took part in the “planning, provision, and implementation” of the Nord Stream pipeline ruptures, which reports have claimed were deliberate acts of sabotage.
Moscow has yet to provide any evidence for the claims, however.
The Nord Stream pipelines were breached on Sept. 26 in Swedish and Danish territorial waters, prompting a flurry of tit-for-tat accusations between Western capitals and Moscow.
While the Kremlin has repeatedly hinted at Western involvement, it had previously refrained from explicitly naming any state actors.
On Nov. 1, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov doubled down on the claims, telling reporters, “There is evidence that Britain is involved in sabotage ... a terrorist act against vital energy infrastructure.”
“Such actions cannot be put aside. Of course, we will think about further steps. It definitely cannot be left like this.”
According to Peskov, Russia is awaiting the completion of a damage assessment before deciding whether to begin repairing the multibillion-dollar pipeline.
In mid-October, Swedish authorities abruptly halted joint investigations with Denmark and Germany into the incident, citing concerns over “national security.”
Later, however, Stockholm announced plans to conduct further examinations of the damaged pipeline—this time with the help of the Swedish Armed Forces.
“I’ve decided, together with the security police, to carry out a number of additional investigations at the scene of the crime,” Mats Ljungqvist, the Swedish prosecutor in charge of the case, said on Oct. 28.
Swedish military authorities had also asked to take part in the investigation, he said.
Swedish and Danish investigators have already concluded that the pipeline breaches were caused by multiple underwater explosions. But so far, they’ve refrained from naming any suspects.
On Nov. 2, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that it planned to summon the UK’s ambassador to Russia to discuss allegations of British involvement.
Black Sea Grain Deal Resumes
Later the same day, Russian officials announced the resumption of a landmark deal with Ukraine that allows the latter to export grain through the Black Sea.“Thanks to the participation of the U.N. and the support of Turkey, we managed to get the necessary written guarantees from Ukraine regarding the grain deal,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative immediately following the Sevastopol attack, raising concerns about potential disruptions to global grain supplies.
According to Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry, more than 200 grain-laden cargo ships had been “effectively blocked” from leaving the country because of Russia’s withdrawal from the deal.
Brokered in July by the U.N. and Turkey, the agreement has to date allowed almost 10 million tons of Ukrainian grain to reach buyers abroad.
Under the deal, a joint coordination center was set up in Istanbul to inspect cargo ships and coordinate their movements. The agreement also established a “maritime corridor” for the safe shipment of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.
On Nov. 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the status of the grain initiative.
During their conversation, Putin reportedly accused Kyiv—and its “Western curators”—of having used the maritime corridor to stage the attack on Russian ships docked near Sevastopol.
According to the Kremlin’s account of the phone call, Putin also asked that Kyiv provide “guarantees” of its compliance with the terms of the deal, which forbids the use of the maritime corridor for military purposes.
Speaking to leaders of his ruling Justice and Development Party on Nov. 2, Erdogan confirmed the resumption—effective immediately—of the U.N.-brokered grain initiative.
“After the phone conversation we had with Putin yesterday, Russian Defense Minister [Sergei] Shoigu called our National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and stated that grain shipments will continue as planned as of noon today,” he was quoted as saying by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency.
