It seemed the media had largely forgotten about the Nord Stream sabotage – the most destructive attack on Western infrastructure since 9/11. Then yesterday, this headline appeared in the Washington Post: ‘No conclusive evidence Russia is behind Nord Stream attack’.
You don’t say! But the piece is actually worth reading.
According to the Post, “numerous” officials say “privately” that Russia may not be to blame. One even said, “There is no evidence” that Russia was behind the attack – an assessment which echoes that of “23 diplomatic and intelligence officials in nine countries interviewed in recent weeks”.
In other words: when speaking off the record, many officials don’t buy the official narrative that Russia blew up its own multi-billion dollar pipelines and in the process squandered its main leverage over Europe…
There’s more. “The United States routinely intercepts the communications of Russian officials and military forces,” the Post writes. “But so far, analysts have not heard or read statements from the Russian side taking credit or suggesting that they’re trying to cover up their involvement”.
On the other hand, some officials still believe Russia is the most likely culprit. Their preferred explanation: Russia carried out the attack to demonstrate that “pipelines, cables and other undersea infrastructure were vulnerable”. In other words: they blew up their own pipelines to signal they’re capable of blowing up pipelines.
I don’t know about you but this doesn’t seem very likely. Did anyone doubt that Russia has the capability to target undersea infrastructure? And if the Russians wanted to send a signal, wouldn’t they have given a hint that it was them, while maintaining plausible deniability (like when they claim such-and-such “fell out of a window”).
What’s more, why go as far as critically damaging the pipelines? Setting off an explosion in their vicinity – so that Europe got the message – would have accomplished the same thing.
As I noted before, the only real piece of evidence suggesting it was Russia is the fact that one of the lines comprising Nord Stream 2 may still be operational. Perhaps Russia sabotaged the pipelines as a way to force Europe to open Nord Stream 2 and thereby violate its own sanctions? Maybe, though I’m not convinced.
Returning to the article, I found this part amusing:
“No one on the European side of the ocean is thinking this is anything other than Russian sabotage,” a senior European environmental official told The Washington Post in September … But as the investigation drags on, skeptics point out that Moscow had little to gain from damaging pipelines that fed Western Europe natural gas from Russia and generated billions of dollars in annual revenue.
Err, “skeptics” were pointing this out as soon as we heard of the sabotage. Because it’s glaringly obvious.
What the article doesn’t mention is which other country might be responsible, such as the U.S., Poland or Ukraine. A newspaper whose slogan is “Democracy Dies in Darkness” entertaining theories that are inconvenient for the U.S. government is apparently too much to ask. Having said that, I wasn’t expecting them to publish what they did. Baby steps, I guess.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.
It really isn’t that difficult to pick holes in the official narrative. It makes no sense whatsoever for Russia to blow up their own pipeline and thereby reduce their leverage over Germany. Not saying they might be that stupid, of course they could. But you ask the question “who benefits from this” and it isn’t Russia.
Particularly considering they could just have turned off the tap.
But the official line in the Net Zero lunacy is we must all learn to live with less, and eco-dictatorship is needed because otherwise the people won’t make the right choices bad decide to use less fissile fuels, so they must be forced to do so by reducing supply.
Blowing up gas pipelines is consistent with that. Now which Governments on the planet are the drivers of Net Zero/Green Deal? And what’s that treaty organisation to which they all belong?
I guess the tap theory could be counter-argued if there were any contractual obligations – simply turning the supply off from their end would leave Europe in the cold so could be construed as a breach of contract. But it would appear we’ve achieved that ‘cut-off’ all on our own through sanctions (on Russia & by extension ourselves), leaving a stalemate to then watch terrorists, Western backed or Russian grown to scupper any chance of a deal in future or avoid any breach of contract – by blowing a literal breach (pardon the pun) in the supply.
That’s the only anti / pro-Russian perspective which makes any sense to me but given the complexity of the negotiations I find it difficult to believe Russia would blow up their main bargaining chip and source of steady income if we do all come to our senses and get back to diplomacy. Regardless, I’m pretty sure the US is happy with their new LNG contracts that are filling the void.
“Democracy Dies in Darkness”
Spelling mistake. It should read – DIED!
And Liberty Died in Silence…
Are you the same, shortly abridged, who still can actually comment in the Guardian?. (God, how I hate that toe rag and the sheep who digest it – mainly teachers, Lol) And, even worse I used to read it it. “Fearless Journalism”. Christ wept.
If it were you, I loved your comment on the nasty Mr. Putin they ran today.
I am proud to say that I was banned 2 years ago for Antivax comments.
Please keep going, especially re their pro vax/lockdown articles. Have fun.
I wish I could continue to upset the bastards.
Any tips on how you get back on once they have “disabled” you, anyone?
Another gripe (I am after all nothing but a grumpy old man) is that their readers appear to have absolutely no sense of humour ! Why is this FFS.?
Is it only ‘the russian pipelines blown up by russia’ that they don’t buy? Anything else? Russia shelling the nuclear plant they occupy?
Everyone, including ‘officials’, who wanted to make their own mind about this conflict, have done this already by now. More than enough time to see and to read to understand that there is much more than ‘totally unprovoked’ attack on the peaceful and democratic country (not that every hostile and undemocratic country necessarily has to be invaded).
‘officials’ know, they just toe the line even when they see that their multibillion energy infrastructure goes up in smoke. And covid madness has taught us exactly that.
Didn’t we just have the head of the British Royal Marines make a statement about the marines having feet on the ground in Ukraine. Wouldn’t their special forces branch, the SBS have gone in first. Isn’t blowing up pipelines or covert attacks on marine installations what they train for, specifically?
“No one on the European side of the ocean is thinking this is anything other than Russian sabotage,” a senior European environmental official… ‘
Must be the same environmental official who thinks global warming is a thing.
Russell Brand’s recent take on this is hilarious.
https://rumble.com/v21leo2-this-is-insane.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=5
I’ve still not heard any sensible opposition to the idea the explosions were accidents (hydrate plugs formed during long periods of low to zero flow through the pipes).
In November 2022 the Swedish investigation into the Nordstream attack said…
”The Nord Stream pipelines carrying vital gas from Russia to Europe were blown up in an act of “gross sabotage,” Sweden’s Public Prosecutors Office said that investigators found “traces of explosives” on several “foreign objects” found at the site under the Baltic Sea, which it considers a crime scene.”
I’d say that is more than opposition to your idea.
The USA did it, whether themselves or by proxy…that’s why it was news for about 20 seconds and since then …crickets….
Didn’t our very own Liz Truss send some message to Biden saying, ‘Its done’, or some such other term. Did I imagine that..?
JFTR it wasn’t my idea, but the view of a veteran gas pipeline engineer who worked for decades on huge undersea projects with multinational companies.
The Ukraine war yet another excuse for this Fake Conservative Government to waste billion of our money.
If anyone needs someone to talk to we meet every Sunday.
Stand in the Park Sundays 10.30am to 11.30am
Make friends & keep sane
From 1st January 2023
Elms Field (near Everyman Cinema and play area)
Wokingham RG40 2FE
Biden said himself (likely unscripted) that the US would put a stop to Nordstream if Russia invaded. And I bet we did the dirty work as Liz Truss’ text confirmed.
https://youtu.be/FVbEoZXhCrM