In this picture provided by Swedish Coast Guard, the gas leak in the Baltic Sea from Nord Stream photographed from the Coast Guard's aircraft, September 27, 2022 (AP)

Tensions between Russia and Western powers escalated further today as the Kremlin formally accused the United States and the United Kingdom of orchestrating the underwater explosions that ruptured the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last year, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

"They are involved, one way or another, in this terrorist attack," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a regular news briefing in response to a question about the September 2022 blasts.

The blasts, which occurred in September 2022, severely damaged the Nord Stream pipelines, disrupting the flow of natural gas from Russia to Europe and prompting a significant international response.

While the incident was initially met with speculation and investigations, Russia has now openly pointed fingers at the United States and Britain without presenting concrete evidence to support its claims.

On September 26, 2022, there were explosions at three of the four strings of Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater pipelines, which are designed to transport a total of 110 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Europe each year.

Separate investigations were launched by Germany, Denmark, and Sweden into the suspected sabotage, with German media reporting trust issues among the three EU nations.

Sources familiar with the investigation into the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions have confirmed media reports that traces lead to Ukraine, as reported by Sputnik.

German news outlets added that there is growing evidence that agents linked to Ukraine may be behind the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines. The news outlets noted that they were in Ukraine before and after the explosions in the Baltic Sea, citing technical data.

In June, a report by The Washington Post said the CIA knew through a European spy agency, three months before the sabotage attack, that members of a Ukrainian special operations team intended to blow up the Nord Stream pipeline.

The yacht involved, according to the investigators, was loaded with explosives and made a deviation from its original route into Polish waters from the Danish island of Christianso.

The Federal Prosecutor's Office of Germany confirmed in March that searches had been carried out on a ship that was carrying explosives to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

Nazi SS veteran should be brought to justice

The Kremlin has called upon the Canadian government to take action against Ukrainian Nazi SS veteran Yaroslav Hunka, who received a standing ovation in the Canadian parliament last week.

Peskov emphasized the need for justice and extradition, following similar statements from Poland expressing their intention to pursue legal action against Hunka.

"We have heard statements from Poland that they also plan to initiate the legal persecution of the Nazi [Hunka]. There is obviously no statute of limitations possible for such crimes," Peskov said.

"In this regard, we, of course, believe that the Canadian government must bring [him] to justice and transfer [him] to those who will bring him to justice," the Russian diplomat added.

The controversy surrounding Yaroslav Hunka came to the forefront on last week when the 98-year-old Ukrainian Nazi veteran received a standing ovation from members of the Canadian legislature.

During a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a 98-year-old former Nazi Ukrainian soldier, who had served in a Waffen-SS division during WWII, received a standing ovation from the Canadian Parliament.

Zelensky visited Canada on Friday, delivering a speech before the Parliament where he sought continued support in the Ukraine war. Following his visit to the United States, he engaged in discussions with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Hunka was among the attendees when the Ukrainian president addressed the Canadian Parliament, recognizing the historical animosity between Ukraine and Russia.

This issue triggered significant outrage on social media, as Canadian journalists and activists from various backgrounds pointed out that this individual's history had been glossed over by veterans' organizations in Western countries.

Others expressed astonishment at the recognition of "an immigrant who served in a military unit of the Third Reich and faced accusations of committing 'war crimes.'"

It is worth noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin has emphasized on multiple occasions that Russian soldiers are fighting "to liberate their homeland from Nazism," underscoring the importance of preventing the resurgence of Nazism, which inflicted considerable suffering on various nations.

Remembering Clinton gaffe

The Kremlin also fired back at former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who recently criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for his stance on NATO expansion.

Peskov responded by recalling a past diplomatic incident from 2009 when a symbolic "reset" button meant to improve U.S.-Russia relations was mistakenly labeled "overload" in Russian.

Clinton's comments came as she taunted Putin for Russia's strong opposition to NATO expansion, saying, "Too bad, Vladimir. You brought it on yourself." These remarks reignited tensions between Russia and the United States over the contentious issue of NATO enlargement.

In his response, Peskov referenced the 2009 incident when Clinton, during her tenure as US Secretary of State, presented Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with a red button bearing the English word "reset" and the Russian word "peregruzka" (overload) at a press event in Geneva.

The mistake, which was a translation error, became a symbol of diplomatic awkwardness between the two nations at the time.

"We remember quite well the 'reset' button incident from 2009, and it serves as a reminder that diplomacy requires precision and understanding. Symbolism in diplomacy can sometimes have unintended consequences, as we have seen in the past," Peskov said.