Moscow blames UK navy for gas pipeline blasts - as Ukraine says it's 'unlikely' Vladimir Putin will survive war - Latest 👇
13:07:35As we reported at midday, Moscow's Defence Ministry has blamed the UK for blasts along key pipelines transporting Russian gas to Europe. Former senior Royal Navy officer Rear Admiral Chris Parry has hit out at the accusation. He continued:"You always have to be suspicious of what the Russian Defence Ministry says - it's hardly the Ministry of Truth."There's no capability for the Royal Navy or anybody in the UK offshore industry to be able to blow up those pipelines.
In a new update, Russia's Defence Ministry said the sea minesweeper Ivan Golubets, part of the Black Sea fleet, received minor damage."In the course of repelling a terrorist attack on the outer roadstead of Sevastopol, the use of naval weapons and naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed four marine unmanned vehicles. Three more vehicles were destroyed on the inner roadstead," the defence ministry said.
Although Western leaders have not directly accused Russia of being behind the attack, the EU has previously said Moscow was using its gas supplies as a weapon against the West.11:45:56Someone has put up a mock headstone for the grave of Vladimir Putin at a military checkpoint in Bakhmut. In his latest update on Telegram, he said everyone was alive and unharmed but an industrial building was destroyed. Russia 'not making significant progress' anywhere along the front lines
Analysts said the information operation is likely an attempt to"improve morale" and"possibly the personal standing" of Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is behind the Wagner mercenary group. The US told a closed NATO meeting this month it would accelerate the deployment of the modernised weapons, which will arrive at European bases in December, according to Politico. "We cannot ignore the plans to modernize nuclear weapons, those free-fall bombs that are in Europe," Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko told state-owned RIA news agency.