Although the final admission that Russia didn’t sabotage the Nord Stream pipelines clearly exonerates Moscow, it opens up a number of questions, as it is obvious someone else certainly did it. Writes Drago Bosnic
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were subjected to a series of sabotage attacks on 26 September 2022. The perpetrators used explosives to render parts of the strategically important natural gas pipelines inoperable. The first explosion was recorded at 02:03 local time (CEST) and hit the Nord Stream 2. A pressure drop was detected and natural gas began leaking southeast of the Danish island of Bornholm. Seventeen hours later, the same occurred to Nord Stream 1, resulting in three separate leaks northeast of Bornholm. The attacks happened just a day after Poland and Norway opened the Nord Stream’s competitor, the Baltic Pipe, running through Denmark, bringing in gas from the North Sea. The sabotage was carried out in international waters, but within the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of Denmark and Sweden.
As per usual, the mainstream propaganda machine of the political West immediately started blaming Russia for sabotaging its own natural gas pipelines. The “cartoonishly evil” Kremlin was once again accused of allegedly “weaponizing” its vast energy reserves against the European Union. For months, claiming anyone else was behind the attacks would get one branded a “conspiracy theorist”, a designation perfectly fit to have dissenting opinions “canceled”. However, in a wholly unexpected turn of events, Washington Post published a surprising admission on December 21, stating there was “no conclusive evidence” that Russia carried out the attacks. The report was issued following a months-long investigation which proved that the explosions were indeed the result of a deliberate act of sabotage.
Washington Post also noted the frenzied accusations that Moscow was behind the attacks, which began just hours after the sabotage and the ensuing massive gas leaks into the Baltic Sea. “After explosions in late September severely damaged undersea pipelines built to carry natural gas from Russia to Europe, world leaders quickly blamed Moscow for a brazen and dangerous act of sabotage. With winter approaching, it appeared the Kremlin intended to strangle the flow of energy to millions across the continent, an act of ‘blackmail,’ some leaders said, designed to threaten countries into withdrawing their financial and military support for Ukraine,” the authors stated, adding the following: “But now, after months of investigation, numerous officials privately say that Russia may not be to blame after all for the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines.”
The US daily issued the rare admission after interviewing 23 diplomatic and intelligence officials in nine countries, all of whom have been involved in the international investigation into the sabotage attacks which have jeopardized the EU energy supplies this winter. “There is no evidence at this point that Russia was behind the sabotage,” one European official is quoted as saying. The report further indicates that “some went so far as to say they didn’t think Russia was responsible. Others who still consider Russia a prime suspect said positively attributing the attack — to any country — may be impossible.”
Although the final admission that Russia didn’t sabotage the pipelines clearly exonerates Moscow, it opens up a number of questions, as it is obvious someone else certainly did it. There are several other prime suspects, usually in independent and alternative media. The consensus in most such sources is that the United States is the main culprit behind the attacks, quite possibly aided by its regional vassals. However, such points of view could be heard in the mainstream media as well, albeit much more seldom and prone to being completely dismissed. In early October, Jeffrey Sachs, a UN expert and one of the most prominent economists in the world shocked a Bloomberg panel after stating the US was most likely behind the attacks.
“I would bet [the attack] was a US action, perhaps US and Poland,” Sachs said at the time only to be immediately interrupted by the host and asked to provide evidence, to which he responded: “Well, first, there is direct radar evidence that US military helicopters that are normally based in Gdansk were circling over this area. We also had the threat from [President Biden] earlier this year that ‘one way or another we are going to end Nord Stream.’ We also had a remarkable statement from Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken last Friday in a press conference where he said ‘this is also a tremendous opportunity.’ That’s a strange way to talk if you’re worried about piracy on international infrastructure of vital significance.”
In light of the new revelations by the Washington Post and given the fact that the US profited immensely as a result of the EU-Russia economic decoupling, particularly the EU’s weaning off Russian natural gas, the points made by the well-known Columbia University professor sound more relevant than ever. The destruction of the pipelines came approximately a month after some in the EU suggested using the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to increase Russian energy imports and also “coincided perfectly” with the manifold surge in US LNG shipments to the EU, which surpassed Russian natural gas deliveries for the very first time. This has become so obvious that even the usually compliant Brussels bureaucrats complain that the US is engaged in war profiteering.
