Germany deploys elite forces to safeguard Baltic pipelines
According to Tagesschau, in response to the increasing threat of sabotage, Germany's elite counter-terrorism unit GSG 9 will be deployed to the Baltic Sea to protect underwater infrastructure in both the Baltic and North Seas.
6:22 AM EDT, October 13, 2024
The German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, personally decided to deploy the special forces in the town of Neustadt in Holstein on the Baltic Sea. "This location will enable the unit to respond more quickly to crises both at sea and in northern Germany", notes "Tagesschau".
Russians "mapping the pipeline network"
The newspaper also points out that Germany regularly monitors the activities of Russian spy ships, which—according to German officials—"are mapping the network of pipelines and other underwater lines at the bottom of the Baltic and North Seas."
The GSG 9 special forces, which focus on counter-terrorism, will be stationed permanently in Neustadt in Holstein. Thanks to this location, they will be able to respond more quickly to crises both at sea and in northern Germany.
The GSG 9 maritime units are equipped with fast boats. Specially trained divers can also operate on Federal Police vessels. Sources noted that the threat of sabotage against underwater infrastructure "became apparent" after the Nord Stream pipeline explosion.
Explosion on Nord Stream
The explosions at Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 occurred on the night of September 26, 2022, near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. As a result, three of the four pipelines were damaged. Investigations have been conducted by several countries, including Germany. Western media sources in law enforcement noted that a "pro-Ukrainian group" might have been behind the sabotage.
In early October, the USA, France, and the United Kingdom accused Russia of hypocrisy at a UN Security Council meeting, which was convened by Russia on Friday and dedicated to the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage. Some Kremlin allies criticized the lack of progress in the investigation of this matter.
At that meeting, several speakers sharply criticized Russia for convening another meeting two years after the explosions in September 2022, which damaged pipelines 1 and 2 in the Baltic, wasting the Council's time and resources. They expressed support for the ongoing investigation led by Germany. They also denounced Moscow for its hypocrisy in criticizing the Nord Stream explosions while it continues to systematically attack Ukrainian water and energy infrastructure.
