FWIW--- German lawmakers break Europe's silence on suspected Nord Stream pipeline saboteur to point the finger at Russia

German politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann spoke about Russia in an interview with RND about suspected attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines.

Two senior German lawmakers have pointed the finger at Russia over suspected sabotage of Nord Stream. The leaking Russia-to-Europe pipelines are spewing natural-gas into the Baltic Sea.

The Kremlin said claims about Russia's involvement were "predictably stupid and absurd." Two senior German lawmakers have pointed the finger at Russia over suspected sabotage of the Nord Stream natural-gas pipelines.

Roderich Kiesewetter, a government spokesman for crisis prevention, said in a tweet late Tuesday that the attack was an act of sabotage by Russia to deter and threaten Europe.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chairwoman of the Bundestag's defense committee, also named Russia in comments on the suspected attacks to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland news network.

European lawmakers had previously left open the question about who the suspected Nord Stream saboteur could be. None have yet definitively blamed Russia, and Russia has denied it was the perpetrator.

"The longer and more brutal the Russian attack on Ukraine lasts, the greater the risk of such unrestrained attacks," Strack-Zimmermann told RND of the Nord Stream incident, adding: "It cannot be ruled out that they will be directed by Russia in order to shake our markets."

In separate comments to RND, Kiesewetter said: "It is likely that Russia is trying in this way, on the one hand, to stir up uncertainty among the European population and, on the other hand, to once again point out at the state level the possibility of an attack on critical infrastructure."

He added: "Such an act of sabotage would also fit with Russia's state-terrorism and hybrid approach."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that claims of Russian involvement in the Nord Stream incident were "predictably stupid and absurd," per Kommersant, the Russian newspaper.

Dino: (Terry Jones) Good morning, Colonel.

Colonel: Good morning gentlemen. Now what can I do for you.

Luigi: (Michael Palin) (looking round office casually) You’ve... you’ve got a nice transatlantic cable here, Colonel.

Colonel: Yes.

Luigi: We wouldn’t want anything to happen to it.

Colonel: What?

Dino: No, what my brother means is it would be a shame if... (he knocks something off mantel)

Colonel: Oh.

Dino: Oh sorry, Colonel.

Colonel: Well don’t worry about that. But please do sit down.

Luigi: No, we prefer to stand, thank you, Colonel.

Colonel: All right. All right. But what do you want?

Dino: What do we want, ha ha ha.

Luigi: Ha ha ha, very good, Colonel.

Dino: The Colonel’s a joker, Luigi.

Luigi: Explain it to the Colonel, Dino.

Dino: How many tanks you got, Colonel?

Colonel: About five hundred altogether.

Luigi: Five hundred, eh?

Dino: You ought to be careful, Co1onel.

Colonel: We are careful, extremely careful.

Dino: ‘Cos things break, don’t they?

Colonel: Break?

Luigi: Well everything breaks, don’t it Colonel. (he breaks something on desk) Oh dear.

Dino: Oh see my brother’s clumsy Colonel, and when he gets unhappy he breaks things. Like say, he don’t feel the army’s playing fair by him, he may start breaking things, Colonel.

Colonel: What is all this about?

Luigi: How many men you got here, Colonel?

Colonel: Oh, er... seven thousand infantry, six hundred artillery, and er, two divisions of paratroops.

Luigi: Paratroops, Dino.

Dino: Be a shame if someone was to set fire to them.

Colonel: Set fire to them?

Luigi: Fires happen, Colonel.

Dino: Things burn.

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