Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday directly accused the United States and its allies of blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines.
"The sanctions were not enough for the Anglo-Saxons: they moved onto sabotage," Putin said. "It is hard to believe but it is a fact that they organized the blasts on the Nord Stream international gas pipelines."
"They began to destroy the pan-European energy infrastructure," Putin said. "It is clear to everyone who benefits from this. Of course, he who benefits did it."
What triggered this wave of speculation from Russia?
A sharp drop in pressure on both pipelines was registered on Sept. 26 and seismologists detected explosions, triggering a wave of speculation about who might have sabotaged one of Russia's most important energy corridors.
The European Union said it suspected sabotage caused the damage to the Gazprom-led GAZP.MM Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in Swedish and Danish waters. The White House has dismissed Russian allegations it was behind the incidents.
Russia's top spy said that Moscow had intelligence indicating that the West was behind what he said was a "terrorist act" against the pipelines.