Former CIA director says ‘Russia is the most likely suspect’ in Nord Stream pipeline attacks

A former CIA director claims the apparent sabotage could be a “signal to Europe” that Putin can wreak havoc far beyond Ukraine’s borders.

A former CIA Director has given a chilling warning as he revealed he believes Russia is the “most likely suspect” behind the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream natural-gas pipelines perched off the coast of Sweden and Denmark.

A Danish-Swedish report released on Friday concluded the leaks were caused by underwater explosions corresponding to hundreds of kilogrammes of explosives.

The source of the explosions has remained a mystery, however, with both Moscow and Washington denying responsibility.

John Brennan, who served as CIA director under former US Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, claims the apparent sabotage could very well be a “signal to Europe” that Vladimir Putin can wreak havoc far beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Disturbingly, he said he believed the attack could the first of many nefarious moves to rock Europe as winter approaches in the northern hemisphere.

“This is clearly an act of sabotage of some sort and Russia certainly is the most likely suspect,” Brennan said via CNN.

“Russia does have an undersea capability that would easily lay explosive devices by those pipelines ... I do think it‘s a signal to Europe that Russia could reach beyond Ukraine’s borders.

“This just might be the first salvo of some additional things that might be coming toward Europe.”

Brennan described Putin as an “autocrat” who is “feeling increasingly beset by problems and by the miscalculations that he has made as far as going into Ukraine”.

“He’s isolated. He’s also trying to hold on to power and I think we’re seeing increasingly desperate steps that are being taken,” he continued.

A former CIA Director has revealed he believes Russia is the ‘most likely suspect’ behind the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream natural-gas pipelines off the coast of Denmark and Sweden.

A spokesman for Nord Stream said the NS-2 pipeline is no longer leaking under the Baltic Sea because an equilibrium has been reached between the gas and water pressure.

“The water pressure has more or less closed the pipeline so that the gas which is inside can’t go out,” Nord Stream 2 spokesman Ulrich Lissek said. “The conclusion is that there is still gas in the pipeline,” he added.

Asked how much gas was believed to be in the pipeline, Lissek said: “That is the one-million-dollar question.” Information on the status of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline leak, which was significantly larger, was not immediately available.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which connect Russia to Germany, have been at the centre of geopolitical tensions as Russia cut gas supplies to Europe in suspected retaliation against Western sanctions following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

While the pipelines are not currently in operation, they both still contained gas before they fell victim to apparent sabotage, producing four leaks.

All the leaks, which were discovered on Monday, are in the Baltic Sea off the Danish island of Bornholm.

Two of the leaks are located in the Swedish exclusive economic zone, and the two others in the Danish one.

Two of the leaks are located in the Swedish exclusive economic zone, and the two others in the Danish one.

Lissek said Nord Stream 2 had informed the Danish energy regulator earlier Saturday that the pipeline had stopped leaking gas.

Danish authorities had said the leaks would continue until the gas in the pipelines is exhausted, which is expected to occur on Sunday.

The Swedish coastguard said late Friday that the leaks on Nord Stream 2 showed signs of weakening due to the exhaustion of the gas contained in the pipes.

John Brennan, who served as CIA director under former US Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, claims the apparent sabotage could very well be a ‘signal to Europe’ that Vladimir Putin can wreak havoc far beyond Ukraine’s borders.

The diameter of the sea surface “boiling” caused by the leak in the Swedish exclusive economic zone was now only 20 metres wide, 10 times smaller than at the start.

The leak on Nord Stream 1 had also started to weaken on Friday, with surface diameter down to 600 metres in diameter, down from between 900 and 1,000 metres on Monday.

— with AFP