The Federation Council appreciated Latvia’s proposal to close the Baltic Sea to Russia

The Latvian authorities should take into account the capabilities of the country’s naval forces before making proposals to “block” the Baltic Sea for Russia, stated RIA Novosti Senator from Kaliningrad Alexander Shenderyuk-Zhidkov.

“It’s very funny to hear when the president of a country whose fleet, according to the Internet, consists of five minesweepers from the 80s and a dozen patrol and patrol boats, talks about blocking the Baltic Sea,” he said.

According to him, if Latvia is counting on the US Navy, then “it is very important not to confuse the Gulf of Finland with the Persian Gulf.”

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics previously announced the need to close the Baltic Sea if Russia’s involvement in the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline, which runs between Estonia and Finland, is proven. Rinkevičs clarified that this issue has not yet been discussed with NATO allies, since the investigation into the incident has not yet been completed.

On the afternoon of October 8, Finnish Gasgrid reported a drop in pressure in the Balticconnector at night. According to the company, the cause could be a leak. The Finnish government later admitted that this may have been due to a deliberate act. On October 11, the Finnish government’s Foreign and Security Policy Committee reported that the damage could have been caused by “external activities.”

On October 17, the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that Finnish police were interested in the Russian container ship and focused on its activities. In addition, the police were also interested in the Chinese container ship Newnew Polar Bear, which was passing by the Balticconnector at the time the mainline was damaged. Rosatom denied assumptions about the alleged involvement of the nuclear container ship Sevmorput in the accident.

Russian President Vladimir Putin commented happened, calling statements that Moscow was involved in the gas pipeline incident “bullshit.” The head of state noted that he did not even know about the existence of such a gas pipeline.