Yesterday evening, news that “pro-Ukraine saboteurs” may have been responsible for the Nord Stream sabotage was simultaneously reported by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Times of London, and the German newspaper Die Zeit.
There is “no evidence” that Zelensky or his top generals were involved, the newspapers claimed. Nonetheless, “traces lead in the direction of Ukraine”.
The two American newspapers simply referred to “intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials”, details of which were not disclosed. In fact, the New York Times offered this hilariously obtuse observation: “The review of newly collected intelligence suggests [the saboteurs] were opponents of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.” Opponents of Vladimir Putin – you don’t say!
The two European newspapers were slightly more forthcoming.
According to the Times, Scandinavian diplomats were told only a week after the attack took place that it had been carried out by “a private venture originating in Ukraine”. The name of the “suspected private sponsor” is apparently known to intelligence officials, but was not revealed in the article.
The article did explain, however, that the operation involved “a yacht, elite divers, forged passports and the procurement of shaped explosive charges only available to the gas and oil industry”. So perhaps our international man of mystery is an oligarch in the energy sector? (That would certainly answer the question of ‘cui bono?’)
Die Zeit’s report furnished yet more details.
A “breakthrough” in the investigation by German authorities, the paper noted, has made it possible to “largely reconstruct how and when the explosive attack was prepared”. In particular:
The secret operation at sea was carried out by a team of six people… five men and one woman… the group consisted of a captain, two divers, two diving assistants and a doctor… the command set sail from Rostock on September 6th, 2022. The equipment for the secret operation was previously transported to the port in a delivery truck.
As to the evidence implicating Ukraine, “a Western secret service is said to have sent a tip to European partner services”, with subsequent intelligence confirming that a “pro-Ukrainian group could be responsible”. Investigators cannot rule out that it was a false flag attack by Russia – though they have found “no evidence that confirms such a scenario”.
What should we make of all this?
On the one hand, it certainly makes sense. Indeed, I’ve been arguing for months that Ukraine is the most likely culprit. (I had been envisioning a Government-sanctioned op, and while yesterday’s reports insist Zelensky was not involved, the New York Times says that those responsible might have “connections to the Ukrainian Government or its security services”).
On the other hand, it seems a little too convenient for the U.S. Government. As a sceptic might put it: “You say nothing for five months and then 30 days after a respected journalist points the finger at the American President, you say you can’t be sure but it was probably some pro-Ukraine saboteurs; definitely not Zelensky and definitely not Biden.”
Having said that, there’s reason to be sceptical – of the scepticism, I mean.
If intelligence agencies simply wanted to shift blame away from the U.S. Government, wouldn’t they have pinned the blame on Russia instead? All they’d have had to do is leak unconfirmed ‘intelligence’ pointing to rogue elements in the FSB, or an elaborate false flag operation designed to split the Western alliance.
A sceptic might reply that they couldn’t blame Russia because, at this point, nobody would buy it. Perhaps. But even blaming “pro-Ukraine saboteurs” isn’t risk-free from the U.S. Government’s perspective. As the New York Times notes, “Any suggestion of Ukrainian involvement, whether direct or indirect, could upset the delicate relationship between Ukraine and Germany.”
Then there’s the fact that German and Scandinavian intelligence also uncovered evidence leading back to Ukraine. Of course, such evidence could have been fed to them by U.S intelligence agencies. But the conspiracy is now getting so complicated that the simpler explanation – that there actually is evidence pointing to Ukraine – looks more plausible.
The final development worth mentioning is that Seymour Hersh told the Russian newspaper Izvestia that he plans to publish a new investigation about Nord Stream next week. Learning of yesterday’s New York Times article, he apparently said, “It cannot be true … ‘Special services suggest’, ‘pro-Ukrainian’! My God.”
Hold on to your seats.
Stop Press: Journalist Mark Ames points out that until recently, European officials believed that a “state actor” must be responsible. This raises doubts about the veracity of the new intelligence, or suggests the “pro-Ukraine saboteurs” had state-backing after all.
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Can we sort out – was the group ‘pro-Ukraine’ or ‘anti-Russian’ or both?
I need to know.
Obviously it’s going to be pro- Russian……the five men were two Iranians and three Russians, and they were under the rule of the Femme Fatale Captain, who was of course Chinese………..it all fits!!?
The same people that questioned source and details of Hersh’s story and deemed many details as being technically too difficult to pull off and the story as incredible are now selling us or believing this amateurish and 10x as incredible fairy tale.
C’mon man.
The call by the Nigerian Prince is the only thing that comes to my mind with regard to anyone falling for this.
….and just a coincidence that it’s come out in the week that Scholz visited Biden?
and also a coincidence that different media, citing different sources, but all coming out at the same time….just like a controlled media campaign….?
The US and UK media cite US sources..the German media cite the German Government and their own investigation and yet the details seem the same?
Nordstream was quickly dropped by the press, and there has been near total silence until Hersh dropped his bombshell…which hardly any MSM picked up or discussed in detail….?
German politicians have been asking the Federal Government for months to give them the details from their report..this was the official answer they got….
”After a German MP asked the executive branch in October about reported Russian concerns that Ukraine might attack Russian infrastructure, an executive branch representative responded, “After careful consideration, the federal government came to the conclusion that a disclosure of information regarding this question cannot be issued — not even in classified form — due to considerations regarding the welfare of the state.”
This being the case I‘m making the assumption that this is now a media campaign coordinated by Germany and the USA……?
To what end?
Is it to limit the damage from Hersh’s story?
Or, and this is pure speculation of course…having read the Rand report on ‘Avoiding a long war’ Could this be how they start to throw Ukraine under the bus, to get out of a conflict they are now stuck in and have lost interest in, by blaming Ukraine?
Possible topics and reasons for the strange Scholz/Biden visit. https://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=29466
Thanks…yes it was all extremely odd…
‘It can not be true…..’
Until it is…..
The ribs can’t take much more punishment….
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/coordinated-media-hoax-campaign-russia-blasts-nytimes-report-nord-stream-monstrous
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/03/nord-stream-attack-officials-throw-more-chaff-to-hide-the-real-perpetrators.html#more
Occam’s razor.
AND Cui Bono?!
Tough one
And in the small hours yesterday, the BBC “World Service” broadcast the same story; no idea what their source was.
I worked on some of the Nordstream 1 pipeline, actually the post lay surveys, none of it was in deep water.
It would have been an ideal demolition job for divers.
However IMO the operation to blow it up looked a tad amateurish.
I understand that the pipeline depth is 80m. It is not a normal scuba diving depth.
Well within the range of commercial divers or the military.
I worked on the pipeline in the Swedish sector which was between 40 to 60m if memory serves me.
Ukraine no longer has a functioning navy or probably the expertise to carry it out.
Cui bono.
The US engineers a conflict.
The US encourages the West to impose sanctions against Russia.
The US supplies Europe with the gas that they were told not to buy from Russia.
The US makes lots of money from the conflict they engineered.
Whatever individuals blew up Nord Stream 2 it was sanctioned by the US.
I find it funny the way Europeans react ie. if unclr Joe did it then it’s okay and nothing more needs to be said. Can you not see how this makes you look like a total gimp. It is up to you if you are happy with that.
Of course, the USA has never tried to muddy the water before in situations like this, has it?
Carried out by 6 people on a sailing boat? Obviously no U.S. involvement then. Must have been another “cock-up”. Probably just a fishing trip that ended badly.
If I got it all correctly one of the pipelines remains unscathed. Is there any reason why it cannot be used?
Yes..basically because America has told its vassal state Germany that it can never be used…or else!!
Not impossibly Israel, meddling for opportunistic reasons relating to Russian involvement in Syria.
The USA has been intent on stopping Nordstream2 for years. They imposed sanctions which forced the Swiss pipeline contractor (Allseas) to pull out of the project when it was 90% complete. And Joe Biden promised reporters that there woukd be no Nordstream pipelines if Russia invades Ukraine. The MSM story is not credible.
Latest update 110323
‘The trail of the Andromeda: A sabotage commando on board a sailing yacht (Andromeda) from Rügen is said to have blown up the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea.’
Experts have questioned whether the amount of explosives used in the sabotage attacks, estimated to be several hundred kilograms, could have been carried on such a small boat, raising the question of whether another vessel was involved.
https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/nord-stream-sabotagekommando-die-spur-der-andromeda-a-9186fdf0-9ead-4e78-a237-76837774350f
‘The Minerva Julie stayed there, alternately idling and crossing a roughly 200-square-nautical-mile area above the two natural-gas pipelines, for seven days, from September 6 until September 12. From there, the Julie traveled on to Tallinn, Estonia before anchoring at Saint Petersburg, Russia on September 18. Then, on September 26, the two pipelines burst.’
https://www.businessinsider.com/nord-stream-mystery-minerva-julie-russia-ukraine-germany-alexander-osint-2023-3?r=US&IR=T
‘THE MESSAGE RUSSIA WAS SENDING AT THE TIME, IT HAD TWO IMPORTANT COMPONENTS. THE FIRST WAS THAT, SINCE THE EUROPEAN UNION PLANNED TO STOP PURCHASING GAS FROM RUSSIA, IT WOULD BE AN ANTICIPATORY MEASURE TO HARM THE EUROPEAN SIDE. BUT THE SECOND, WHICH IS MORE SIGNIFICANT, WAS THE IMPLICATION THAT THEY COULD TARGET EUROPE’S VITAL UNDERWATER INFRASTRUCTURE.’
Rainer Saks
‘According to information recorded by the Swedish Seismic Network, the explosion corresponded to 100 kilograms of trinitrotoluene (TNT) explosives. Kaido Peremees, head of the diving company Tuukritödeho OÜ, stated that it was not necessary to dive to blow up the gas pipeline.
The report on the investigation was published at a time when European Defense Ministers are meeting in Stockholm to discuss the production of shells for Ukraine. (Rainer) Saks pointed out that even if the published material about the Nord Stream explosions delays the European decision by only a month, Russia will still benefit form it.’
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