German federal police and armed forces (Bundeswehr) have started their reconnaissance mission to investigate recent acts of sabotage on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, Tagesschau news service reported on Sunday, citing a letter of the country's defense ministry to the Defense Committee of the Bundestag.
The document was originally obtained by Tagesschau's affiliated networks, WDR and NDR.
According to the letter, Federal Police President Dieter Romann last week filed a request to the Bundeswehr for administrative support "to assist in producing a situational report on the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea." The request was approved after the Federal Ministry of Defense "determined the available capacities of the navy and legally examined them."
According to the news service, the federal police are investigating the explosions with the help of divers and special technology. Two Bundeswehr vessels have also been deployed to the Baltic Sea.
