Moscow, Aug. 24 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy Kirill A. Dmitriev has criticised legacy media outlets for accusing Moscow of destroying its own Nord Stream pipelines and termed those allegations an "absurd claim." His remarks come just days after Italian authorities detained a Ukrainian national linked to the 2022 blasts.

"Never forget exposed fake narratives. Legacy media pushed the absurd claim that Russia blew up Nord Stream, an absurd claim that Russia sabotaged its own energy infrastructure. Case study in narrative manufacturing: who funds, who frames, who amplifies. Same mechanisms to disinform over and over," the envoy wrote in an X post.

The explosions in 2022 caused large leaks in the two pipelines that car...