According to an investigative documentary, Russian ships were able to conduct underwater operations where the Nord Stream pipelines later exploded.
The ships were reportedly located using Russian naval communications.
Last September, underwater explosions brought down two Nord Stream pipelines designed to carry gas from Russia to Europe.
The cause of the explosions is not clear.
In the immediate aftermath, some in the West pointed the finger at Russia, while Moscow blamed Western countries, including Britain.
More recently, there were reports that intelligence pointed to pro-Ukraine activists, though not the Ukrainian government itself.
Official investigations are underway in countries near the blast site. So far, these nations have said only that they believe the explosions were the result of sabotage rather than any kind of accident.
But the latest episode of the TV documentary series Putin’s Shadow War and the accompanying English-language podcast Cold Front provide a possible lead pointing to Russian involvement.
Denmark’s DR, Norway’s NRK, Sweden’s SVT, and Finland’s Yle series of broadcasters revealed last month that Russian vessels were mapping wind farms in the North Sea, including off the UK coast.
Now, the latest episode focuses on what they say are suspicious ship movements during the Nord Stream explosions.
The vessels are believed to include the Russian research vessel Siberiakov, the tugboat SB-123 and a third vessel of the Russian fleet, which media outlets have not been able to identify by name.
These were so-called “ghost ships”, whose transmitters were switched off. However, the broadcasters say they were able to track the ships’ movements between June and September 2022 using intercept radio communications sent to Russian naval bases.
The movements were tracked by a former British naval intelligence officer, who worked on intercepting the Russian Baltic Fleet until he retired in 2018. The man – who remains anonymous in the documentary – says he used open-source information and radio communications. Research it.
The ships are said to have remained in the vicinity of the explosion site for several hours, and in one case for nearly a full day.
One of these ships, Siberiakov, is believed to be capable of underwater surveillance and mapping, as well as launching a small underwater vehicle.
The former Royal Naval Intelligence officer says he took an unusual navigation track in June, around the site where the pipeline would later fly, and switched his communications mode to a secret receiver.
Another unidentified ship was also present in the area last week in June.
And a third vessel, the Navy tugboat SB-123, is said to have arrived just five days before the September explosions. Radio communications indicated that he remained there throughout the evening and night before heading back to Russia.
