A Russian navy vessel specialised in submarine operations was photographed near the sabotaged Nord Stream gas pipelines just prior to mysterious blasts in September, Danish daily Information said Friday.

The newspaper said the submarine rescue ship SS-750 was photographed in the Baltic Sea four days before the still-unexplained explosions on the pipelines that link Russia to Germany.

The SS-750 has its own mini-submarine, called the AS-26, which can reach depths of 262 feet (80 metres) and carry loads of up to 50kg.

[Interesting. We’ve discussed the cui bono of the Nord Stream sabotage pretty extensively before now, and there seems to be less benefit from it for Moscow that there would be for the West in cutting Russia’s connection for its nat-gas sales. But as a false-flag operation, it might have suited Russia to stage this as an attack by the US as a means of splitting NATO and the EU. If this is on the level, then perhaps Putin was really this desperate. — Ed]