Nord Stream mystery deepens: Who really blew up the pipelines?
Two years after the destruction of the Baltic Nord Stream pipelines from Russia to Germany, it is still unclear who blew them up. The event has become a mystery, spawning sensational narratives utilized by Moscow, wrote "Gazeta Wyborcza" on Monday.
In the first days after the explosions, many analysts suggested that Russia might have blown up the Baltic pipelines. They pointed to the technical capabilities for conducting such diversions and possible motives. However, none of the key Western politicians publicly accused Russia of blowing up the Nord Streams.
Meanwhile, Moscow immediately launched a propaganda attack, while the ongoing gas leak prevented checking what happened to the pipelines, "GW" reports.
On the third day after the suspected sabotage of the Nord Streams, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the "Anglo-Saxons," meaning Americans and Britons:
Sanctions were not enough for the Anglo-Saxons: they moved on to sabotage. It is hard to believe but it is a fact that they organised the blasts on the Nord Stream international gas pipeline, he stated.
It was recalled that on the same day, Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia's foreign intelligence service SVR, formulated another Kremlin propaganda thesis: In my opinion, the West is doing everything to hide the true perpetrators and organizers of this act of international terrorism.
Since then, Putin has repeatedly accused the USA of blowing up the pipelines. He has never presented even a shred of evidence to support the allegations, "GW" notes.
At the end of August, the Russian authorities filed a complaint with the German government. It concerns the conduct of the investigation regarding the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions following the main suspect's escape from arrest in Poland.
"WSJ": Ukrainian authorities are behind the attacks on Nord Stream
The American newspaper "Wall Street Journal" reported that Ukrainian authorities are responsible for the attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines. This was denied by Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
At the same time, the former head of the German Foreign Intelligence Service (BND), August Hanning, expressed his belief in an interview with "Die Welt" that the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines must have been carried out with Polish support and approval at the highest level — from Ukrainian President Zelensky and Polish President Andrzej Duda.
In response to these reports, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed "all the initiators and patrons of Nord Stream 1 and 2" on platform X: "The only thing you should do today about it is apologise and keep quiet," he wrote.
Nord Stream under fire
On September 26, 2022, three of the four Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were destroyed at a depth of about 260 feet at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. For years, much of the Russian natural gas for Germany was directly delivered through Nord Stream 1. Many Eastern and Western European countries have repeatedly and strongly criticized the project, warning of the geopolitical consequences of bypassing Eastern Europe in the transit of the resource.
Many Eastern and Western European countries have repeatedly criticized this project, warning of the geopolitical consequences of bypassing Eastern Europe in the transit of the resource. During Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Moscow suspended gas supplies even before the destruction of Nord Stream 1. Meanwhile, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was ultimately not launched due to the Russian invasion and the resulting political disputes.
