Denmark confirms sighting of Russian ship near Nord Stream pipeline days before explosion

A Russian SS-750 specialized vessel, which carries a submarine on board, was photographed close to the location of the Nord Steam pipelines that were sabotaged in September 2022.

The sighting was confirmed by Danish forces on April 27, who spoke to the Danish newspaper Dagbladet Information.

On Sept. 26-28, four leaks were discovered in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which were built to carry gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.

The defense command told Dagbladet Information that the presence of the SS-750 was confirmed with 26 photos taken from a Danish patrol boat on Sept. 22, four days before the explosion.

The ministry said they will not provide access to the images due to ongoing intelligence work.

Several Western officials referred to the pipe leaks as “deliberate acts of sabotage” but could not unequivocally verify that the damage was linked to Russian involvement.

German media outlet T-Online and open-source intelligence analyst Oliver Alexander previously wrote that the SS-750 was likely just one of six Russian vessels in the area before the explosions occurred. They used satellite photos and AIS data to confirm the presence of the SS-750 on Sept. 21, 2022.

Danish, Swedish, and German authorities are still investigating the explosions.