The Foreign Ministry warned of the consequences of closing the Baltic Sea for Russia

Closing the Baltic Sea to Russian ships would be a flagrant violation of international law and have serious consequences. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Alexander Grushko.

“This will be a gross violation of international transport and navigation law, which NATO countries, and especially the United States, like to repeat at every corner. Both Brussels and other capitals of NATO countries must understand the seriousness of the consequences of such a step,” Grushko noted (quote according to TASS).

According to him, NATO dreams of turning the sea into an “internal lake” of the alliance. Grushko added that this will not happen.

20 October President of Latvia Edgars Rinkevics offered block the Baltic Sea if Russia’s involvement in the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline, which runs between Estonia and Finland, is proven. According to him, this will be necessary to protect critical infrastructure. The president has not discussed the issue with NATO allies because the investigation into the incident has not yet been completed, Rinkevics added.

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.

At Rosatom refuted speculation about the alleged involvement of the nuclear container ship Sevmorput in the accident. Russian President Vladimir Putin named “bullshit” statements that Moscow was involved in the gas pipeline incident. The head of state noted that he did not even know about the existence of such a gas pipeline.