The explosions at the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines were a terrorist attack involving professional soldiers, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said in a program on national public television station STV.
"This is clearly a terrorist sabotage operation, which must have involved the most professional military units," the Prime Minister said. Mr. Fico added that the Nord Stream explosion raises the question of whether there is something greater than Ukraine itself being the core of the Ukrainian conflict.
Prime Minister Fico noted that a group of people "watching near the Druzhba oil pipeline and monitoring the pipeline by drones" had recently been spotted in Slovakia and the incident was discussed at the Slovakian State Security Council.
"I would not be surprised if someone attacked our gas pipeline or our oil pipeline to stop the import of raw materials from the east, instead promoting supplies from the west," said Prime Minister Fico.
The Druzhba pipeline carries Russian oil to landlocked Central European countries. In early December, Slovakian officials warned that "an organized group" operating in the country and Hungary is conducting a "field survey" in the vicinity of the pipeline. These activities could indicate "possible preparations for a terrorist attack" targeting the two countries' critical infrastructure.
Built in the 1960s, the Druzhba pipeline stretches about 4,000km, connecting Russian and Kazakhstan oil suppliers to European consumers. The pipeline branches off in Belarus, with the north going to Poland and Germany, and the southern branch going to Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Regarding the Nord Stream sabotage, Prime Minister Robert Fico said in early September that Slovakian media was avoiding reporting on the incident despite reports of possible Ukrainian involvement.
"Why didn't the Slovakian media report on the Nord Stream attacks? How is that possible? We all know what happened and who did it. It is reported that a group of Ukrainians blew up the pipeline. This is an attack on strategic energy infrastructure with serious consequences. Why don't we talk about it? Oh, because it's Ukraine," Prime Minister Fico told the Saturday Dialogues TV show on September 7.
