The Nord Stream pipeline is a vast network of offshore natural gas pipelines that run from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea. It supplies Western Europe with natural gas to heat our homes and feed our families. The project funded by a consortium of companies was opposed by the United States; Russian, German, Dutch, and French stakeholders went ahead with the project despite the disapproval from the US.
Several European leaders saw the opposition from the United States to be an act of undermining their countries’ sovereignty and Europe’s ability to make strategic geopolitical decisions without the need for US backing or interference.
Former President Donald Trump went on record prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, stating that Germany’s dependency on Russian gas for their domestic energy supply was a “huge mistake.” When the Nord Stream project began construction in April 2010, President Putin and Russia were seen to be more on board with developing European relations in the form of business and infrastructure projects.
For instance, take the copious amount of investment from Russian oligarchs in London. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russian oligarchs and businesses were open to invest in the European market. Russian Billionaires sought to invest their money into foreign countries; this not only helped the Russian economy back home but also improved Russia’s soft power grip on Western Europe.
Over an incredible twenty-seven billion pounds has been invested into the UK over the past two decades by Russian oligarchs and citizens alone. Stemming from former Prime Minister John Major’s foreign investor visa program that allowed individuals to gain residency or citizenship a lot faster for making investments in the country, London gained the nickname “Londongrad” for the cities laissez-faire approach to Russian backed investment.
A series of covert attacks took place on the 26th of September 2022, resulting in explosions deep under the Baltic Sea. In the past, there had been concerns that the pipeline may be sabotaged due to fears that Europe’s dependency on Russian gas could cause untold security risks for Europe and the Western world. Reliance on Russian gas and oil gives Putin leverage, a bargaining chip.
In a recent interview with Fox News, former President Donald Trump was asked the question “who blew up the Nord Stream pipeline?” To which he responded with “I don’t want to get our country in trouble.” He followed this statement up by saying “I can tell you who it wasn’t; Russia, it wasn’t Russia.” The Biden administration has denied any involvement in the attacks.
At the time, many western media outlets alluded to the idea that Russia staged the attacks as an act of self-sabotage to either disrupt the European energy supply in response to the ongoing sanctions on the Russian state from the EU and western powers. This notion is farfetched as they could have simply cut off the gas supply from the source.
Denmark, Germany and Sweden led separate investigations into the attacks; they refused to collaborate with Russian investigators. German prosecutors linked a yacht that was possibly linked to the attack on the pipelines; they also suggested that a pro-Ukrainian group may have been responsible for the explosions. Ukrainian officials denied playing any role.
Moscow has also denied any involvement. Many theories suggest that British special forces and intelligence groups backed by the US may have played a role in aiding a pro-Ukrainian group.
The yacht found by German investigators named the Andromeda had traces of explosives in the interior. The vessel left Rostock, north Germany, on September 6th, – stopping off in Wiek on the 7th to load the boat with food and provisions. On the 16th of September, investigators traced the boat’s movements to the Danish Island of Christiansø close to the Nord Stream pipeline attacks.
German officials were informed that a group of people presenting Ukrainian passports rented the boat. Boris Pistorius, the German Defense Minister, sought to find out whether the attack “may have happened at Ukrainian orders, or a pro-Ukrainian group without knowledge of the government.”
Ukraine has continually denied any involvement or prior knowledge of the attacks. There is now a broad consensus from investigators that Putin or officials in the Kremlin had any role to play in the attacks.
There is a suggestion that the yacht could have been used as a red herring, deterring investigators from the real saboteurs; in terms of who carried out the attack, that remains a mystery. There is a motive for Ukraine and their allies in the form of Britain and the US to stop German and European dependency on Russian gas. Especially considering at the time, Germany was less inclined than their Nato allies to give aid and sanction Russia due to their over-reliance on Russian energy.
Although it is important to highlight that this is all speculation; perhaps, as with most things in history, the passing of time may reveal the real culprit.
