CNN: ‘Suspicious’ movements of Russian warships near Nord Stream pipeline leaks

European security officials on Monday and Tuesday spotted Russian Navy general support ships near the leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines which were likely caused by underwater explosions, according to two Western intelligence officials and another source familiar with the matter.

It’s unclear whether the warships had anything to do with those explosions, those sources told CNN, but it’s one of several factors investigators will look at to determine the cause of the damage.

Russian submarines were also spotted near those areas last week, one of the intelligence officials said.

Three U.S. officials said the U.S. still does not have a precise explanation for what happened, days after the explosions that appeared to have caused three separate and simultaneous leaks in the two pipelines on Monday.

Russian ships regularly operate in the area, according to a Danish military official, who stressed that the ships’ presence does not necessarily indicate that Russia caused the damage.

“We see them every week,” the Danish military said. “Russian activities in the Baltic Sea have increased in recent years. Very often they test whether we perceive them – both at sea and in the air.”

The Russian moves continue to raise further suspicions about Moscow, which is seen by European and US officials as the only actor in the region believed to have both the ability and the motivation to deliberately damage the pipelines.

However, US officials declined to comment to the US network on the information about the ships on Wednesday.

The Kremlin denies it surprised the pipelines. The representative of the Russian presidency Dmitry Peskov called the claim “predictably stupid and preposterous”.

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