Russian boat seen close to Poland gas pipeline, border guards say
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Officials in Poland said a Russian fishing boat had performed suspicious manoeuvres near a Baltic Sea gas pipeline.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Polish border guards spotted a Russian fishing boat acting suspiciously near a gas pipeline off Wladyslawowo on October 1st.
- The boat performed "suspicious manoeuvres" near the Petrobaltic submarine pipeline, prompting a radio alert from the Border Guard.
- Prime Minister Tusk reported daily Russian provocations in the Baltic, mentioning a separate incident near Szczecin port.
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WARSAW - Polish border guards said on Oct 2 they had seen a Russian fishing boat acting suspiciously near a gas pipeline in waters off the town of Wladyslawowo, amid anxiety over possible sabotage operations
The Baltic Sea is bordered by eight Nato alliance countries that have been redoubling efforts to protect underwater cables and pipelines after a spate of suspected sabotage incidents, some of which the West has blamed on Moscow. Russia denies involvement.
“On Oct 1, a Russian fishing boat was spotted by the Border Guard reducing speed while performing suspicious manoeuvres in close proximity to a submarine pipeline belonging to Petrobaltic,” the Border Guard said in a statement, referring to the company that works in the area.
“This incident occurred 18 nautical miles north of Wladyslawowo. After receiving a radio alert, the skipper sailed away from the critical infrastructure zone.”
The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Galecka told reporters that the vessel had been around 300m from the pipeline.
Earlier on Oct 2, Prime Minister Donald Tusk mentioned an incident near Szczecin port - some 300km south-west of Wladyslawowo - during a European summit in Copenhagen, without giving further details.
He said there were Russian provocations in the Baltic “almost every day”.
Mr Tomasz Siemoniak, minister responsible for special services, said the incident that Mr Tusk had referred to was separate from the one near Wladyslawowo. REUTERS
