Russia ready to take Nord Stream blasts issue to court

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia is ready to take the case of the Nord Stream pipeline explosions to court if the West fails to investigate the matter, its foreign ministry said on Saturday.

The multi-billion dollar Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines transporting gas under the Baltic Sea were ruptured by a series of blasts in September 2022, seven months after Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.

No one has claimed responsibility for the explosions.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia had filed what she called “pre-trial claims” against Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland, based on the 1997 International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings and the 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.

“The pre-trial stage of dispute settlement, a mandatory stage provided for by the conventions, is now underway,” she said.

“If the issue is not resolved at this stage, then Russia intends to take the matter to court and appeal to the International Court of Justice in connection with the violation by the countries in question of their obligations under the conventions.

“Other states that may have something to do with the Nord Stream blasts are next in line. The West will not get away with the attempts to ‘sweep the matter under the carpet’.”

Moscow – without providing evidence – has repeatedly said the attack was carried out by the United States and Britain, both of whom have denied the allegations.

German prosecutors last month said they had issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian diving instructor in Poland in connection with the attacks.

“The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipeline blasts are an egregious act of international terrorism that falls under a number of international treaties that establish obligations to prevent, suppress, investigate, prosecute and co-operate with other states to achieve these goals,” Zakharova said.

“Unfortunately, we see that these commitments are not being fulfilled, despite repeated appeals by Russia.”