Russian naval cruisers were seen close to gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 in the months and days leading up to the explosions, writes Danish broadcaster DR, upon gaining access to Russian navy radio communications, along with Norwegian NRK, Swedish SVT and Finnish Yle. 

The ships spotted near the blasts were equipped to carry out submarine operations.

According to DR, the ships patrolled the waters close to where explosions later occurred for several hours, and close to a full day in one instance.

One of the vessels were seen in the vicinity of the blasts a mere five days before they occurred.

The intelligence obtained by the media shows three Russian ship movements.

DR cites navy commander and military analyst at the University of Copenhagen Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen of saying that the intelligence points towards submarine operations.

”The combination of vessels out there, along with their positions, could indicate activities on the ocean floor which may tie into the blasts. But we are not able to confirm it,” he says.

The ships moved close to the gas pipelines in both June and September last year, according to DR’s information.

Leakages were registered on the Baltic Nord Stream 1 and 2 in September last year. Subsequently, several governments have issued statements putting sabotage as the cause of the leaks.

Ongoing investigations have yet to name a culprit behind the sabotage.

DR has presented the Russian embassy in Copenhagen with intelligence on the Russian ships’ presence near the pipelines. The embassy has not yet replied to DR’s inquiry.

The Russian embassies in Sweden, Norway and Finland have all waived commenting on the ship movements.