UPDATE - It's ‘complete nonsense’ to say Nord Stream explosion organized by pro-Ukrainian groups: Putin

ADDS COMMENTS FROM RUSSIAN PRESIDENT

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said it would be “complete nonsense” to say that the blast on the Nord Stream gas pipelines were organized by pro-Ukrainian activists.

“An explosion of this kind, with such power, at such a depth, can only be carried out by specialists, and supported by the entire power of the state, which has certain technologies," Putin said during an interview with a Russian journalist.

Putin further claimed that the explosion at the pipeline was committed at the state level and that it could not be done so by “amateurs.”

“The fact that this is a terrorist attack is no longer a secret to anyone, I think everyone has already recognized it. Moreover, the terrorist attack, quite obviously, was committed at the state level, because no amateurs can commit such actions,” Putin said.

In response to a question on the possibility of Western countries being involved in the blast, Putin said: "Well, of course!"

"We must always look for those who are interested. And who is interested? Theoretically, the US, of course, are interested -- in order to stop the supply of Russian energy carriers to the European market and supply volumes of their own, including liquefied natural gas," he said.

On a question whether Russia is conducting an investigation into the incident, Putin said it is “very difficult” to conduct because Moscow is denied an opportunity to examine the site of explosion.

He added that it was not a "small section" of the pipeline that was damaged, saying: "No, there was an explosion, it was very strong, the pipe was torn out, it flew off. A large piece, I don't remember how many meters, turned out to be torn out from the pipeline system, flew off somewhere to the side, about 5 to 8 meters (16-26 feet)."

Putin also said a Gazprom vessel found evidence of the possible presence of another explosive device on the Nord Stream pipeline, located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the site of the previous explosion.

He noted that the damage to the pipeline can be repaired but it would take time, money and new technologies, since there are not "any examples of repairing such systems after such incidents."

The Nord Stream pipelines, which carried Russian natural gas to northern Germany via the Baltic Sea, were ruptured in a series of blasts on Sept. 26, causing leaks in what officials from countries in the region called "likely sabotage."