In what is seen as a veiled threat to the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that all world energy infrastructure was at risk of "terror attacks."
His comments came Wednesday at an energy forum in Moscow.
According to the Daily Mail, Putin said that all the energy infrastructure in the world is a legitimate target after explosions at the Nord Stream pipelines in September.
CNN had reported in last month that European security officials had seen Russian Navy ships earlier in the vicinity of the Nord Stream pipeline leaks.
Underwater explosions likely caused the leaks to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines from Russia to Germany. European Union leaders have denounced the incident as sabotage.
The Daily Mail noted western intelligence agencies suspect the explosions were caused by the Russians.
But The Telegraph said Putin called the pipeline explosions an act of terror.
"It shows that any critically important object of transport, energy or utilities infrastructure is under threat" no matter where it is located or by whom it is managed, Putin said.
Putin added: "The logic is cynical: to destroy and block cheap energy sources, hence depriving millions of people, industrial consumers of gas, heat, electricity, and other resources and forcing them to buy all this at much higher prices. Forcing.
"The attack on the Nord Streams has set an extremely dangerous precedent, which shows that any critical piece of transport, energy or communications infrastructure is under threat, regardless of its location, management, or whether it lies on the seabed or on land."
Meanwhile, the U.N. General Assembly voted to condemn Russia's "attempted illegal annexation" of four Ukrainian regions and demand its immediate reversal, The Associated Press said.
The vote was 143-5 with 35 abstentions.
The vote to condemn Russia is a sign of strong global opposition to the seven-month war and Moscow's attempt to grab its neighbor's territory, according to the AP.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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