EU Says ‘Sabotage’ Behind Damage to Russian Nord Stream Pipelines
EU foreign policy chief Borrell: “All available information indicates that these leaks are the result of a deliberate act.”
The European Union believes that multiple leaks in the Russian deep-sea pipelines were caused by sabotage, German newspapers reported Wednesday.
“The cause of the leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines is still unclear, but more and more countries suspect sabotage,” the German state broadcaster Tagesschau reported Wednesday. “The European Union also views ‘deliberate action’ as the reason and is threatening countermeasures,” the broadcaster added.
On Tuesday, the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines — running from the Russian mainland to Western Europe underneath the Baltic Sea — began leaking at three locations off the Danish island of Bornholm. The pipelines belong to the Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom.
Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper reported the EU’s reaction:
“All available information indicates that these leaks are the result of a deliberate act,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday on behalf of the 27 member states. Any intentional disruption to Europe’s energy infrastructure will “be met with a robust and collective response.”
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had earlier threatened possible perpetrators with harsh consequences. “Any intentional disruption of active European energy infrastructure is unacceptable and will result in the strongest possible response,” von der Leyen tweeted late Tuesday night.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also saw the incident as sabotage. “Stoltenberg has described the three leaks found in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea as ‘sabotage,'” the German news agency DPA reported Wednesday.
🔴 Sabotage is the most likely cause of leaks in two Baltic Sea gas pipelines between #Russia and Europe, EU chief @vonderleyen said.
The #NordStream 1 and 2 pipelines have been at the centre of geopolitical tensions in recent months.@sineadsmonde reports ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/zJpbOU9ti1
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) September 28, 2022
Underwater blasts possibly caused the multiple leaks, the seismographic data collected by the Swedish and Danish authorities suggest. “Denmark believes ‘deliberate actions’ caused big leaks in two natural gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, and seismologists said powerful explosions preceded the leaks,” The Associated Press reported Wednesday.
Neither of the pipelines was active at the time of the suspected blasts. Germany froze Nord Stream 2, a multi-billion project nearing completion, just days ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In early September, Russia closed down Nord Stream 1, the critical remaining gas pipeline to Europe, citing maintenance issues caused by Western sanctions.
Russian reports suggest that both pipelines were filled with gas when the underwater leaks began.
“This is a big problem for us because, firstly, both lines of Nord Stream 2 are filled with gas – the entire system is ready to pump gas and the gas is very expensive,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. “Now the gas is flying off into the air. ”
The incident occurred less than two weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Europeans to open the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would mean a significant rollback of Western sanctions against Russia.
Whatever the real cause behind the pipeline damage, Europe — particularly Germany — will sink deeper into the energy crisis as the Russian supply network is disrupted.
Cities across Germany are already witnessing weekly protests as thousands take to the streets against soaring gas and electricity bills. Earlier this month, the German government issued an emergency ordinance seeking to reduce and ration energy consumption by industry, businesses, and households. German police are gearing up for a “state of emergency,” fearing mass riots and violent protests in the wake of possible blackouts this winter, German newspapers reported recently.
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Russia knows Europe is soft and will break soon with the spotlight on Germany. For weeks, Moscow has had paid actors along with psyop efforts underway across Europe and especially Germany. Putin believes ‘General Winter’ may yet win this war for him.
General Winter has helped Russia many times in the past…. Why not now?
Regarding Germany: Salingrad 2.0.
Grrrrrrr!
Brrrr! might be more appropriate in this case.
I don’t think Russia blew up their own pipeline. All they had to do was what they were already doing, turning off the flow.
We should have build the infrastructure required to export our natural gas to Europe and a a contract with the Europeans guaranteeing that they would buy our gas.
The progressive fascists are against anything related to natural gas because they want to have government control every aspect of our lives and impoverish our society.
I guess you missed the part where Brandon has declared war on gas and oil. He will not let anyone drill for it and is pressuring the banks to not lend any money to fossil fuel producers. Otherwise, I think that Trump was full steam ahead on building the infrastructure to do just what you said and even told the Europeans to build the facilities. I think it was at that meeting where he warned Europe not to depend on Russia for gas and they laughed at him.
We actually do have some LNG export facilities. Unfortunately for Germany, they don’t have any LNG import facilities.
Of course, build the infrastructure… you do realize that at its shortest distance, Germany is almost 4,900 miles from the United States. Wouldn’t you have to also consider the depth of the ocean and obstructions which would interfere with that “straight” pipeline? Oh yeah, I forgot, we have all that excess pipe left over from the Keystone pipeline.
Building that infrastructure would have helped other stats by getting them cheap and plentiful energyu. We’d rather cut off our own noses just to spite our face by NOT letting them do this.
We got mad at Russia when they built NS 1, but ecause of tariff rules gas to Germany was very dear. By Russia building NS 2 direct from Russian territory the price, and guarantee of flow, could be guaranteed.
SOMEONE who does not want Germany to be warm this winter, and/or Russia to get revenue from gas sales, “arranged” this activity to prevent both.
Now I’ve been wearing out my thinking cap and just canNOT imagine WHO might think they gain by both of these above benefits falling as they would were the pipeline not damaged/shut down.
Maybe I’ll stumble accross that answer sometime this winter, as I keep MY house warm and dry by burning wood.. something the green weenies hate almost as much as my using fossil fuel.
Has the EU blamed it on the new Italian PM yet?
I look forward to the Babylon Bee reporting on this.
there was a hint of that accusation but so far it has not gained any traction. “they” really don’t like her. I think its because she threatens their desired status quo.
Cui bono?
Greenies for one.
True, but I seriously doubt they have the capability to blow up under-sea pipelines. Seems like it was a state-actor to me, for that reason.
Greenpeace blew a few things up back when. I wouldn’t put it past them to have the wherewithal.
I wonder how many CFEUs™ of methane have been released into the atmosphere by these pipeline breaks at this point?
CFEU = Cow Fart Equivalent Units
Reportedly, both pipelines were inactive at the time of the suspected blasts.
They both had gas in them to pressurize them but the flow was capped. So the amount of gas being released is limited to what was in the pipe or section of the pipeline.
I’m pretty sure it was the OL U S of A that did this
I’m sure they’ love to do it, it’s really a matter of capability. Underwater demolition isn’t exactly easy and you’re talking about concrete-clad steel pipes at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, 80m to 110m deep.
When you get down to it very few countries actually could do something like this without anyone noticing who it was. Russia (maybe), US, England and a couple more. You would need a sub or mini to get down there. Of course, narco terrorists have the money to buy one but I doubt they would know how to do it.
Two things:
One, I personally know SCUBA divers who regularly make colder water dives to depths of 400 feet on tri-mix gas. No big deal. They often carry still and/or video image recording equipment, and powerful lights down with them. None of these guys are very wealthy, just normal hard working middle aged guys who love diving.
Two, Green”peace” have a long and sordid history of sabotage, destruction, operating far away from US shores, abuse of other peoples’ equipment, and disregard for the safety and/pr property of others when they have in view what THEY hold as a “higher value”. Part of why I have refused to support or promote them for the past few decades.
That second said, I do not think Greenpeace are behind this stunt. Ut just dow not fit their larger agenda. It further does not fit because of the timing. Were GP strongly opposed to this pipeline they’d have taken action of this sort to try and shut down/delay the construction of the project, and been vocal about their views, which they have not done with respect to this pipeline project.
While means and opportunity are certainly in play, I do not believe their intent was/is.
Very interesting. The first question should be who benefits from this development.
That’s what I can’t figure out.
Who else supplies NG or LNG to Europe would seem to be the answer in the short and intermediate term.
Or who doesn’t want Europe to return to using fossil fuels?
Underwater demo isn’t a skill set folks learn on the fly. Supposedly three separate destinations / explosions. IMO this act would be a heavy lift for environmental whackos.
Would those weirdos be happier with less reliance on fossil fuels? Yes. Would they like the capacity to pull this off? Yes. Was it them? Probably not; too complex, too narrow a skill set and too many variables that also require specialized training and/or knowledge. Bet on Nation State actors for this one until we have way more information simply because they posses the needed skills and knowledge.
Greenies have been planning to take out fossil fuel pipelines since greenies were invented. Mixed gas deep diving is no longer the exclusive domain of military and tech divers, plenty of recreational divers do it now. Blowing something up under water isn’t significantly different from doing it on land. Different equipment perhaps, same basic techniques and practice makes perfect. As I suggested, the plan and preparations could have been in place for years waiting for the right time/place/conditions to pull the trigger.
So I wouldn’t place any bets just yet.
I wonder how deep the water is where the breaks occurred. I read your other posts and you make lot of sense but I think anything deeper than 200ft would require a submersible or other highly specialized equipment.
I’ve seen a depth of the three or four blast sites given as 300 feet or meters, not that deep. Yes, recreational divers with Trimix and wetsuits regularly operate at such depths and more, and in water of more or less the same temp.
But MY guess is underwater drone sleds were the tool of choice. Plain folks COULD< if motivated and determined, pull this off. But my nickel is on a government entity with the skills and trained manpower ready to hand. Surface divers most likely woild have created SOME evidence of their presence. I have not heard details as to the timing but I have read variously three and four blasts seismically recorded at those two pipelines. I do know one thing: if a charge big enough to blow those tubes had been placed by a free diver on trimix, he'd have had to set a sophisticated and reliable timer to provide enough time for his escape, as the blast that big travelling through even a thousand feet of water would mess up his whole afternoon…
They we have our own LA class nuclear subs, from which such a mission would have been a walk in the park, and totally untraceable unless a Russin or Chinese sub of siilar capabllity were operating in the same area and "made" them.
I do not believe Russia pulled thi soff.. no they WANT to sell their gas, and to see Germany prosper. Chiese? Maybe, but that does not fit eithe,r as they are more than a little chummy with Russia of late. China have no competing capabilities to supply Europe with energy other than coal. No gain there. Nor do I think this was an activity carried off by the numberous and ruthless deniena of the various sandboxes "over there". Just does not fit with any of their previously demonstrated skill sets.
I've no doubt the real perp will be revealed at some point further on. We may well be surprised when it is.
Ukraine benefits from it because Europeans will be motivated to end the war by aiding them.
Not now, they can’t turn the flow back on regardless. Either way, the Germans are screwed. If they’re smart they’ll spin back up every single nuclear and coal plant they have and produce the power that will keep their people from freezing. I don’t have much faith that they’ll do that.
At the very least it shows how stupid German politicians were to harness their nations energy requirements to Russia. Close the nuclear plants and make our citizens suffer at the whims of Putin. And they were laughing at Trump when he warned them not to do it. Yep
which set of supposed facts lends itself very well to the theory that it was OUR government behind the shutdowns. Biden’s been hollering at Putin for sending their gas to Germany and mumbling threats to Germany for taking it. And I sorta seem to recall Joltin Joe his own sorry self making a PROMISE that Nordstream Two will NOT open…… we can “count on that” he said. About a year plus ago, if memory serves. He almost seemed to know something about it, he spoke with such confidence……….
The US, because it keeps the WEF goals alive and keeps Germany in line supporting those goals. Germany, because the population is making a lot of noise and putting pressure on the government to drop the sanctions on Russian energy.
Let’s not forget the U.S. just had a ship in that area in May flying a U.N. flag. Great recon asset.
https://turcopolier.com/what-are-the-causes-and-effects-of-leaks-in-the-nord-stream-1-and-2-pipelines/
Good reading
Tucker Carlson says the only country that has threatened to break the pipelines is the US, with clips. Gets rid of competition to new Norway-Poland gas pipelines as well as cutting off Russia from the picture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLb0QeCQF_I
True, but it also eliminates the ‘off ramp’ for Russia and Ukraine to end this war. It takes Russia’s most important bargaining chip off the table.
The only major military power having done exercises in the area… the US Navy. There are reports of the Navy having drones that can pull this off. We have an administration obsessed with crushing Russia. Add to that the entanglement of US politicians (FJB one of them) in Ukrainian money and this all plays out as easy finger pointing. Does the Biden admin think it can push Russia to the brink and over… surviving a nuclear exchange…. ask the WEF/NWO?
Russia for one does military operations there all the time and the USN doesn’t exercise there by itself, it does it with NATO allies.
Except that the Russians just spent a fortune putting that pipeline there and have no reason at all to blow it up since they control the flow mechanisms.
On the other hand, the pedophile-in-chief did threaten to basically remove the pipeline not so long ago, after he removed the sanctions that allowed for the completion of it’s construction.
Do I think Biden would doom millions of Europeans to freezing this winter for a political gambit? Yep, I put nothing below that pedophile.
Not really. The Ukrainian govt could always accept the results of the referendum. The pipeline can and will be repaired. Sure this eliminated the Russian threat of ending all NG flow but only by making it a reality. There also a dispute with Gazprom over flows and payment to Ukraine for use of pipelines going on which may curtail those flows. Plus Russia or another actor could hit other facilities in the future.
There’s no other way to replace the normal volume of NG flow from Russia in the next two/three years with other sources. The infrastructure has to be built for additional LNG terminals, pipelines connecting those to distribute it across Europe.
intentional disruption of active European energy infrastructure
Weasel words to avoid doing much? Because:
Neither of the pipelines was active at the time of the suspected blasts.
Here is the problem with all this talk of sabotage and attacks:
The gov’ts have done so much to destroy their credibility in the last decade and a half (particularly the last couple of years) that it’s easy to believe “conspiracy theories” and to doubt everything they tell us. They don’t have much political capital with which to work.
Nobody knows what happened, all the speculation is just politics
Yeah, but it’s worth considerable thought. For example, the CIA supposedly warned Germany that the pipeline could be attacked recently. I’d imagine the conversation may have gone like this:
CIA: “We have intelligence that the NordStream pipeline is going to be attacked this Fall.”
Germany: “Really? By who?”
CIA: “Us, actually, but try to act surprised.”
/s Did we leave a bunch of “I did that” Biden stickers on the pipeline?
US, as of 0200 this morning, already getting blamed.
whatever.
And that’s probably the truth.
“be met with a robust and collective response.” And this time they really mean it!
“We will fart in your general direction!” — Ursula von der Leyen
BTW, is Europe completely run by women, these days, or what??
Now it’s the pipeline farting in Germany’s general direction. The option of turning the flow back on has been completely removed from the table.
LOL. So the EU is going after Greta Thunberg and just about every EU politician from the last 30 years? I can’t wait to see the owners of windmill companies hauled away …
Other than that, it’s funny that Europe is so mad that someone is stopping them from dealing with Russia – the country they have sanctioned to hell and claimed that no one should do any business with at all.
Europe needs to fire up the coal, nuclear, and natural gas power plants NOW! I know it takes time, but winter is coming. Forget the damn green energy crap, as you have your assignment!
We shall get to see their true resolve. Are they willing to freeze to death in order to prove their point? Not the elites, of course, they never suffer for their evildoing.
The French preferred to starve rather than eat potatoes …
Then they made French Fries.
It is ridiculous to think that Russia could even be suspected of blowing up their own pipeline. They already shut down the working one and prefers, instead, to sell gas to Europe via the Chinese in dribs and drabs. It serves Russia no advantage to damage their own pipeline.
The only countries that have any sort of interest in sabotaging the NordStreams are the US and the Ukraine. That’s pretty much it. It doesn’t make sense from anyone else’s interest.
And Ukraine doesn’t have the means. Not without a lot of help from the US or Britain.
Just remember, Ursula Von Der Layden will not be living in a cold home this winter.
She’ll be vacationing in the Bahamas. With Klaus Schwab and the rest of Europe’s idle socialist aristocracy.
It might be helpful to know what Russia is saying about this event. Have they said anything?
I reported Russian government spokesman’s statement. I agree, it will be of interest to follow the developments from that angle. (My Russian is bit rusty, but I do follow their coverage)
“Big Guy” Dark Brandon is now warning, I repeat, warning gas stations NOT, I repeat NOT, to raise prices or else!!! Not a joke.
What a buffoon. The price of gasoline is determined mostly by futures contracts. Companies just pass the cost down the chain to the gas stations. No one does anything for free. Corporations are not like government giving something away to preferred people while taxing the rest for the cost plus the biggest of mark-ups for graft.
Link: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/09/28/joe-biden-warns-gas-stations-not-raise-prices-after-hurricane-despite-draining-petroleum-reserves/
Sabotaged, kind of like how Dresden and Tokyo were ‘sabotaged’ in the spring of 1945.
Which is how Joe ‘Dr Strangelove’ Biden likes to look at it. Especially after his morning meds.
-Europe thinks it was Russia
-Russia thinks it was the US
-US thinks it was Russia
-China thinks it was US
PLOT TWIST
It was actually a race of squidpeople attempting to start nuclear war so that they can claim the planet as their own.
I suppose we will all soon learn just how “obedient” the Germans will be this winter. Will they continue to bow and govel before their lords and masters, enduring what may well be a VERY cold winter with little energy to be wafted about, or will they rise up and pressure their government to get other forms of energy on board NOW. It takes some time to recommission a nuclear power plant. I seem to remember hearing that they’ve not been mothballed yet for very long, and I think a couple of them are still in process of being shut down. Turning that about NOW could provide enough energy to Germans to keep enough energy flowing so assure survival thgough this winter. But if the Poohbahs Grands drag their feet, hem and haw, ponder and cogitate, ack everyone they cn think of for their studied opinions, they may get round to having one of them op and crankng out the kilowtts by next July. Too late.
Germany’s handling and response to this will determine their future survival. Not much wriggle room for a new plan to be implemented in time.