Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the US of “sabotaging” the Nord Stream pipeline and suggested that the recent attacks had been carried out to destroy Europe's energy infrastructure.
Mr Putin said that the attacks on the crucial trans-Baltic pipeline were the work of “Anglo-Saxons” during a long-winded speech announcing the annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
“The sanctions were not enough for the Anglo-Saxons: they moved on to sabotage,” Mr Putin said. “It is hard to believe, but it is a fact that they organised the blasts on the Nord Stream international gas pipelines.
“They began to destroy the pan-European energy infrastructure.”
He added that it was “clear to everyone who benefits from this”.
Russia on Friday claimed to have intelligence suggesting western involvement in the pipeline disruption, as it stepped up efforts to deflect suspicion away from Moscow.
Swedish authorities said the blasts that caused several leaks on the crucial pipeline were equal to several hundred kilograms of TNT. The country says it does not believe anyone other than a state could have caused the undersea blasts.
“The magnitude of the explosions was measured at 2.3 and 2.1 on the Richter scale, respectively, probably corresponding to an explosive load of several hundred kilos,” Sweden and Denmark said in a joint report to the UN Security Council.
Following a request from Russia, the Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting on the leaks later on Friday.
“All available information indicates that those explosions are the result of a deliberate act,” the countries said.
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.
The Scandinavian countries also said that “the possible impact on maritime life in the Baltic Sea is of concern, and the climate effect would likely be very substantial”.
Coastguards widened the maritime exclusion zone as gas escaped the pipelines for a fifth day, although there were signs at least one of the leaks was diminishing.
Denmark said the methane leaking from the pipes could be equivalent to a third of its annual greenhouse gas emissions.
There were 778 million cubic metres of gas in the pipes even though none was being exported, Danish authorities said. Both the parallel Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines have two leaks.
Amid suspicion that Russia was behind the leaks, the head of its foreign intelligence service, Sergey Naryshkin, said Moscow had clues “that point to the western footprint in the organisation and implementation” of the blasts.
“The West is doing everything to hide the true perpetrators and organisers of this international terrorist act,” news agency Interfax quoted the spy chief as saying.
Kremlin propaganda highlighted American opposition to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and a remark by US President Joe Biden in February that, if necessary, “we will bring an end to it”.
The US has dismissed suggestions it was involved as Russian disinformation.
“We're as perplexed as anyone else and are very interested in knowing how this came about, whether it's an accident or otherwise,” a senior Pentagon official said this week.
Suspicion has fallen on Russia because of the backdrop of its energy stand-off with Europe, its record of shadowy operations and the suggestion that it wants to unsettle western powers about the safety of their vital infrastructure.
Sweden, one of the countries with gas leaking in its exclusive waters, said on Friday that the leaks “should be seen from the current security situation that Europe is in”.
“It’s very likely that it has been done deliberately and not by accident, and it’s very unlikely it’s been done by anybody else than a state without being detected earlier,” Energy Minister Khashayar Farmanbar said.
Nato said on Thursday it regarded the leaks as sabotage and gave a warning that any deliberate attack against allied infrastructure “would be met with a united and determined response”.
An update from Swedish coast guards on Friday said the leak on Nord Stream 2, the smaller of the two in Sweden’s waters, “has diminished, but is still ongoing”.
As of Thursday evening, passing ships were being told to stay at least seven nautical miles (13 kilometres) from the source of the leak, increased from five.
The rescue ship KBV 03 Amfitrite, built to withstand contaminated environments, was patrolling the leak around the clock amid security concerns around Europe.
French company TotalEnergies added to those concerns late on Thursday by saying it had spotted unauthorised drone activity near one of its North Sea oil and gas installations.
Norway similarly reported drone sightings as it announced it would increase security on its continental shelf following the leaks.
Seismographs in Germany, Denmark and Sweden recorded two separate spikes in the Baltic Sea shortly before the leaks were discovered, in what appeared to be man-made blasts rather than earthquakes.
The mainly Russian owners of the two pipelines told Danish authorities that there were 600 million cubic metres of gas in Nord Stream 1 and 178 million in Nord Stream 2 at the time of the blasts.
Although some of the gas may dissolve in the air and water, the worst-case scenario calculated by Danish scientists suggests the equivalent of 14.6 million tonnes of CO2 would leak into the atmosphere.
This would be equivalent to 32 per cent of Denmark’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, the country’s energy agency said.
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
