Russia requested information about NATO submarines in the Baltic Sea during the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline through German licensing agencies. This was reported by the dpa agency with reference to the findings of a parliamentary investigative commission established in the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, UNN reports.
Details
According to Christian Democratic Union MP Sebastian Ehlers, the mountainous administration of the German city of Stralsund, on behalf of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline operator, requested the coordinates of NATO submarine dive zones in the Baltic Sea from the Bundeswehr. This office was one of the licensing authorities and in 2018 was responsible for authorizing the construction and operation of the pipeline in German coastal waters.
Judging by the information from the commission's hearings, "very approximate data" was eventually transferred to the Russian side, dpa writes. However, the transfer of such data "jeopardized the security of Germany and NATO," commented the head of the commission of inquiry, Hannes Damm.
We add
According to DW, the licensing process of Nord Stream 2 was accompanied by corruption scandals, accusations of various violations and lobbying of Russian interests by German officials.
At the beginning of 2021, the Climate and Environmental Protection Foundation (Klima- und Umweltschutz MV) was founded in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern by a decision of the local parliament. Its actual purpose was to facilitate the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline despite the threat of US sanctions.
Gazprom financed the fund with 20 million euros. The fund's management was accused of bribery in this regard. Since May 2022, a special parliamentary commission has been investigating all the circumstances of the foundation's work. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the German authorities suspended the certification of the gas pipeline.