Kremlin fears 'West will resort to sabotage' after sanctions prove ineffective

MOSCOW

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Saturday agreed with assessments of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said the West may resort to acts of sabotage due to the ineffectiveness of sanctions.

Peskov said in an interview with Russian Rossiya 24 TV channel: "The president says this for a reason, he has certain information, (and) he has grounds to say so."

The West is "suffering" because the sanctions are not hitting Russia the way they were intended, and Russia has managed to find a way to benefit from the sanctions, he said.

According to Peskov, the West will continue to seek opportunities to harm Russian interests, as it has the necessary capabilities and "does not shun anything."

"They (the West) will continue looking for various options for exerting pressure on our country. It is obvious, it is a fact," he said.

Russia managed to complete the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea in 2021 despite strong US opposition and heavy sanctions.

However, in September 2022, underwater explosions targeted the Nord Stream 1 and the newly built Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which delivered Russian natural gas to Germany and other European regions through the Baltic Sea.

Moscow accused the West, particularly the US, of being directly involved in the blasts. It had called for a UN-led international investigation into the likely sabotage, but the request was rejected.

According to US media reports, Washington was aware of a Ukrainian plot to blow up the gas pipelines, but Kyiv has denied any involvement.