- Ex-CIA Director John Brennan thinks Russia is the "most likely suspect" behind the apparent sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.
- "This is clearly an act of sabotage of some sort," Brennan said during an interview with CNN.
Former CIA Director John Brennan said that he believes Russia is the "most likely suspect" behind the apparent sabotage of the Nord Stream natural-gas pipelines off the coast of Denmark and Sweden.
"This is clearly an act of sabotage of some sort and Russia certainly is the most likely suspect," Brennan said during an interview on Wednesday with CNN while speaking about the suspected explosions that caused leaks in the underwater pipelines.
Brennan noted that the pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, lie "only" in about 200 feet of water.
"Russia does have an undersea capability that would easily lay explosive devices by those pipelines," Brennan said, explaining that he believes the apparent sabotage is likely a Russian "'signal to Europe" that the Kremlin can cause damage beyond Ukraine.
"I do think it's a signal to Europe that Russia could reach beyond Ukraine's borders," Brennan said.
The Russian submarine force is believed to have capabilities that could tap or even sever infrastructure on the seabed like communications cables, and at a depth of 200 feet it's even possible the charges could have been emplaced by a diver. CNN reported that Russian warships were seen near the areas where the pipeline ruptures occurred.
Brennan, who served as CIA director under former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, continued, "This might be a sign that Russia is intent on doing whatever it believes it needs to do in order to weaken a European resolve."
"This just might be the first salvo of some additional things that might be coming toward Europe," Brennan warned.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has threatened to retaliate against the suspected sabotage of the pipelines after several European leaders blamed Moscow for the leaks.
Meanwhile, Brennan said that Russia is in a "downward spiral" amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's seven-month war with Ukraine as he pointed out how Moscow's forces have suffered recent defeats by the Ukrainians on the battlefield.
The ex-CIA director called Putin an "autocrat" who is "feeling increasingly beset by problems and by the miscalculations that he has made as far as going into Ukraine."
"He's isolated. He's also trying to hold on to power and I think we're seeing increasingly desperate steps that are being taken," Brennan said.