The Russian ship passed near the gas pipeline in Finland, where the damage was then found - Reuters
Damage to the gas pipeline and telecommunications cable, which connect Finland and Estonia, happened on October 8. Subsequently, Sweden reported that the third line connecting Stockholm and Tallinn was damaged at about the same time as the other two. "The police have established in a criminal investigation that the movement of the Nownew Polar Bear vessel under Hong Kong's flag coincides with the time and place of damage to the gas pipeline.
For this reason, the investigation is now focused on the role of the said vessel," Finnish investigators said. Following Finland's statement, Estonian investigators who also began to study the incidents with the telecommunications cable. They said they consider two ships - Chinese Newnew Polar Bear and the Russian ship "Sevmomorip". "We have determined that during the incident in the area there were Newnew Polar Bear and" Sevmorip.
" Only these two ships were present at all three places of the incident at about the time when the damage occurred, according to the tracking data of the ships proven Reuters. The Finnish side reported that a "heavy object" was found near the seaside near the damaged pipeline and investigators now find out whether it was related to the incident.
"Investigation confirmed that the damage was caused by external mechanical force, and on the basis of current information, there is no reason to believe that the damage was caused by an explosion. Attempts would be made to lift the object from the sea for technical examination," the statement of the Superintendent of Detective Risto said in the statement Locks. Newnew Shipping, the owner and operator of the Newnew Polar Bear, gave up comments to journalists on this.
In addition, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said on Friday, which contacted China and Russia through diplomatic channels to investigate the damage to the pipeline and telecommunications cable. The second telecommunications cable that connects Sweden and Estonia has undergone partial damage. In Russia, it has been stated that the ship is not related to any damage to the pipeline.
"We categorically reject as unfounded any assumptions that the Rosatomian ship could have been connected with the incident on the BalticConnector Pipeline in the Gulf on October 8," Rosatoma said. We will remind that before the explosion on the gas pipeline in the Poltava region a drone was spotted. Earlier it was reported that in September 2023 Russia for the first time this year struck the object of energy infrastructure.