Did Pro-Ukrainian Groups Sabotage Nord Stream Pipeline – Or Is This Misdirection?

ALERT – The New York Times (NYT) reports that new intelligence points to pro-Ukraine groups being responsible for the deepwater explosions last September that sabotaged at least three separate Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

While the biggest loser in this attack was Vladimir Putin, who relied on the Euro cash paid for the Russian gas sent via those pipelines to Europe, the anti-Russian media quickly found a way to blame Russia for the sabotage.

And kept that theory alive as long as possible.

But blaming Russia simply makes no sense.

In my own analysis in December I concluded Russia likely wasn't behind the attacks. I also noted that the sophistication of the undersea attacks pointed toward state actors, not rogue groups.

I also described which countries, besides Ukraine, had the most to gain, and were most capable of conducting or supervising such an attack.

Read my story for those conclusions and speculation.

And European officials publicly stated the sabotage was probably state-sponsored for the same reason and the fact that saboteurs planted and detonated the explosives on the floor of the Baltic Sea without being detected. 

Some sources say more than 1,000 pounds of “military grade” explosives were used in the undersea attack.

But The New York Times using unnamed intelligence sources, is now blurring the lines, “leaving open the possibility that the operation might have been conducted off the books by a proxy force with connections to the Ukrainian government or its security services.”

The NYT reported:

The explosives were most likely planted with the help of experienced divers who did not appear to be working for military or intelligence services, U.S. officials who have reviewed the new intelligence said. But it is possible that the perpetrators received specialized government training in the past.

Trying to blame Ukraine is fraught with problems, first in proving they had the capability to do it. And then proving direct links to the Ukrainian government.

Then, as the NYT also writes: “Any suggestion of Ukrainian involvement, whether direct or indirect, could upset the delicate relationship between Ukraine and Germany, souring support among a German public that has swallowed high energy prices in the name of solidarity.”

If Ukraine were behind the attacks, there would be European blowback. But could Ukrainian groups, even with Ukrainian government backing, really have pulled this off alone?

Meanwhile, investigators are still trying to identify about 45 “ghost ships” whose location transponders were not on when they transited the area, likely to cloak their movements.

There are also questions about the credibility of the intel sources and their possible motives.

As the NYT notes: “U.S. officials declined to disclose the nature of the intelligence, how it was obtained or any details of the strength of the evidence it contains.”

So, the sourcing is weak at best.

But we can't rule out that these unnamed U.S. sources are attempting to deflect or misdirect away from intelligence that might point to the possibility that the U.S. or other major NATO powers were behind the attack, even if only indirectly.

Early last year, Joe Biden said Putin's decision about whether to attack Ukraine would determine the fate of Nord Stream 2. “If Russia invades, that means tanks and troops crossing the border of Ukraine again, then there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2,” Mr. Biden said. “We will bring an end to it.”

When asked exactly how that would be done, Biden cryptically said, “I promise you we'll be able to do it.”

Maybe rogue pro-Ukraine groups with sophisticated undersea military demolitions training and submersible equipment destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines all by themselves or with Ukrainian government support.

Or – maybe Biden was Colonel Mustard in the Baltic Sea library with the lead pipe explosives after all.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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