Two years on, Nord Stream mystery fuels international tensions
Two years after the destruction of the Baltic Nord Stream pipelines from Russia to Germany, it remains unclear who caused the explosions. The event has become an enigma, generating sensational narratives utilised by Moscow, wrote "Gazeta Wyborcza" on Monday.
In the first days following the explosions, many analysts assessed 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 critical Western politicians publicly accused Russia of blowing up the Nord Streams.
Meanwhile, Moscow immediately launched a propaganda attack, while the ongoing gas leak prevented checks on what happened to the pipelines - informs "GW".
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 organisers 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 - notes "GW".
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, adviser 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 26 September 2022, three of the four Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were destroyed at a depth of about 80 metres (around 260 feet) at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Much of the Russian natural gas for Germany has been delivered directly through Nord Stream 1 for years. Many Eastern and Western European countries have repeatedly and strongly criticised the project, warning of the geopolitical consequences of bypassing Eastern Europe in the transit of the resource.
This project has been repeatedly criticised by many Eastern and Western European countries, which warned 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 Nord Stream 1 destruction. Meanwhile, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was ultimately not launched due to the Russian invasion and the resulting political disputes.
