Patrol Ship Launched After 'International Terrorism' Against Nord Stream

A "new era" has begun following the launch of a Russian patrol ship, weeks after an attack on the Nord Stream pipelines caused global speculation.

Naval News reported on the launch of an ice-class patrol ship named "Purga" that is part of the Russian Federation's Federal Security Service.

Georgy Poltavchenko, chairman of the board of directors of United Shipbuilding Corporation, said "a lot has happened" between the introduction of the Purga about two years ago and its launch on October 7.

"As the recent act of international terrorism on the Nord Stream gas pipelines has shown, the West has exceeded the limits of reason and is trying with all its might to deprive our country of strategic advantages," Poltavchenko was quoted by Naval News. "Therefore, such border vessels as the Purga will be very necessary for our fleet to protect and preserve Russian borders."

Russian state news agency Tass reported Monday that the U.S. Navy said a P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance flight near the sabotaged Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea a few hours after the damage was detected was not related to the leaks.

U.S. Navy Captain Tamara Lawrence told Tass the U.S. "had no involvement."

"The U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft shown in the tracking data conducted a routine Baltic Sea maritime reconnaissance flight, unrelated to the leaks from the Nord Stream pipelines," Lawrence said.

Russia's conflict with Ukraine has provoked more maritime investment on Russia's behalf.

On Monday, it was reported that the Rubin Central Design Bureau is working with the Russian Ministry of Defense to develop more than 10 types of various unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).

The development follows reports that Russia's 14,700-ton Belgorod submarine expected to test the Poseidon torpedo—dubbed the "weapon of the apocalypse" due to its supposed ability to cause a nuclear tsunami—has vacated its base in the White Sea.

Tass reported Monday that another ship, the Project 21631 Buyan-M class corvette Grad, was conducting speed, maneuverability and vibration tests in the Baltic Sea. They were to be followed by firing tests against seaborne and air targets.

Norman Friedman, an international defense analyst and historian who has authored over 40 books, told Newsweek that the Russians have always been very interested in special operations of various kinds—which he said "are more KGB than straight military."

The Soviet/Russian navy has spent "a lot more" on submarines than on surface ships, he said.

"Remember where [Russian President Vladimir] Putin comes from, the KGB," Friedman said. "There is also a degree of inter-service rivalry, with the Russian Navy trying to prove that it is relevant to a mainly land-oriented government. Remember also that Putin has emphasized nuclear weapons as a relatively inexpensive way of proving that Russia is still a superpower."

He surmised that Russian manned and unmanned midget subs, which he believes have been exercised extensively, are likely how the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea were sabotaged.

No other country besides Russia seems to have made any comparable investment in this sort of thing, he said, and such vehicles make for "interesting options" in potential covert attacks on the West.

"For years, the Russians have operated special submarines designed to mother manned midget submarines, which are generally imagined to be intended for wartime jobs such as sabotaging underwater cables, which are the main international internet connection," Friedman said.

"There has been speculation that the point of the pipeline sabotage was to advertise that the Russians have the ability to attack Western undersea cables. There are also vital Western undersea pipelines not connected to the Russians," he added.

Sweden and Germany announced Monday that an independent investigation of the suspected "sabotage" will exclude Russia.