Earlier in March, the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) said that it completed the retrieval of an object found near the Nord Stream pipelines. That object was an an empty maritime smoke buoy that posed no danger risks.
"The continued secrecy of the ongoing investigation by Denmark, Germany and Sweden, as well as the refusal to cooperate with Russia, undermine its credibility," Barbin told the American news outlet, adding that experts in Moscow believe that the retrieved object was part of an explosive device.
The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, built to deliver gas under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, were hit by explosions last September. Nord Stream's operator, Nord Stream AG, said that the damage was unprecedented and it was impossible to estimate the time repairs might take.
Russia considers the explosions of the two pipelines an act of international terrorism.
US journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh alleged that the explosions were organized by the United States with the support of Norway. Following Hersh's report, Moscow reiterated its calls for an impartial and thorough investigation. The US has denied its involvement in the incident.