Kremlin: Nord Stream probe is set up to falsely blame Russia
MOSCOW, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the investigations into blasts that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea appeared to have been set up with the intention of falsely blaming Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "elementary logic" showed the pipeline damage was a blow to Russia's interests. He said the investigation was being conducted "secretively" and without Moscow's involvement.
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Swedish and Danish authorities have been investigating four holes in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.
"The main thing is that the way it looks in public, according to statements we are hearing from Germany, from France, and from Denmark: this investigation was set up inherently to put the blame on Russia," he said.
The damage to the pipelines has become a major flashpoint in the crisis over Ukraine.
Four of three pipelines of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, the largest routes for the Russian gas to Europe, were ruptured in the Baltic Sea last month. Moscow said the United States was beneficiary from the accidents, while Washington has denied any involvement.
A preliminary investigation of damage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Danish part of the Baltic Sea showed that the leaks were caused by "powerful explosions", Copenhagen Police said in a statement on Tuesday.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said last week that Russia needed permission for its vessels to conduct investigations into explosions that damaged Nord Stream pipelines. (Reporting by Dmitry Antonv; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)