October 15th, 2022 | ryan tyler

It's clear the u.s. sabotaged nord stream

Biden foreshadowed it himself, then it happened and Sweden helped cover it up.

The facts have never been more obvious or blatant. Western propaganda has been in overdrive since Putin invaded Ukraine, but there has never been so many obvious telltale signs about who the culprits are in an international act of sabotage. In the first week, media was quick to blame Russia—it was a part of the script they were given—but as time went on, things started to quiet down. We don't hear so much about who may have sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines anymore, because the answers have been put into plain sight. However, efforts will again ramp up to pin the blame on Russia once "proof" finally emerges.

Sweden Blocks Joint Investigation, Citing National Security

On October 6th, it was reported that Sweden had seized the evidence in the Nord Stream investigation. On October 14th, the Swedish prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Mats Ljungqvist, rejected a joint investigation with Eurojust, saying, “This is because there is information in our investigation that is subject to confidentiality directly linked to national security.” Ljungqvist said Sweden was already cooperating with Germany and Denmark on other matters related to the investigation.

After the report from German newspaper, Der Spiegel, Swedish Prime Minister, Magdalena Andersson, told journalists it wasn't true and that Sweden is working with Germany and Denmark. However, this was something already confirmed by Ljungqvist. Yes, Sweden is “working with” these countries, but Sweden was still rejecting an official joint investigation, which would allow German, Danish and Eurojust investigators to access pertinent information.

Aside from the obvious, there is no real reason for Sweden to conduct the investigation in secret and there are no matters of national security that could be at risk. The Nord Stream pipelines are an international achievement, to some degree, and although Russia solely constructed Nord Stream 2, several countries were involved in its development, maintenance and creation.

One of the countries most affected by the destruction of the Nord Stream and the dire prospect of a cold winter is Germany.

foreshadowing, Convenient Opportunities And Strong Opposition

In February, before Russia invaded Ukraine, Joe Biden said, “If Russia invades... then there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.” When asked by a reporter how he would be able to do that, since the pipeline is under German control, Biden responded, “I promise you, we will be able to do that.” His remarks during a joint press conference with Olaf Scholz can be seen here.

Immediately after news broke of sabotage, U.S. Secretary Of Foreign Affairs, Antony Blinken said, “It's a tremendous opportunity to once and for all remove the dependence on Russian energy and thus to take away from Vladimir Putin the weaponization of energy.”

In December of 2021, Democrats in Congress, along with many Republicans, demanded sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and held up Biden policies in order to compel the White House to sanction the pipeline before it was completed. From the beginning, the Nord Stream network has been contentious among most U.S. policymakers.

In May of 2021, Senator Tom Cotton released a speech promoting the killing of Nord Stream.

It was, in the end, Biden who refused to sanction Nord Stream in an effort to build better relations with Europe and Germany and to—probably—use the pipeline as a political leverage of sorts. When Russia finally defied NATO and went into Ukraine, it would be Biden who would secretly “bring an end to it” without directly harming relations with Germany and Denmark. By keeping the sabotage a secret and blaming Russia, it absolves the United States of wrongdoing and preserves relations with Germany and Denmark. By waiving sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and then secretly blowing it up later, the White House was able to play two political hands.

The immediate blame placed on Russia by diplomats and media, before any real information was revealed, is highly suspect and indicative of information warfare and an effort to get ahead of the narrative.

Russia Could Just Turn It Off

Rather than blow up its own pipeline and damage infrastructure that directly benefits itself, Russia would be better served to flick a switch and turn off gas supplies to Europe. Before they were sabotaged, the Nord Stream pipelines were already turned off and restricted, or not yet operational. Nord Stream 2 was only completed in late 2021 and wasn't yet fully operational by the time it was detonated.

One of the biggest concerns for American policymakers was that Putin would use Nord Stream to blackmail Europe and to hold countries hostage by turning off gas supplies whenever it was politically beneficial. By destroying and damaging the pipeline, Putin would be shooting himself in the foot and handicapping his own abilities to influence European lawmakers.

The narrative around Russia sabotaging its own pipeline doesn't make a lot of sense. Russia blowing up its own pipeline and then blaming NATO and the United States in order to damage relations between Germany and the United States also doesn't seem like a worthwhile or effective strategy. If Germany gets annoyed by the United States, it makes no difference. The two countries will still remain on the same page when it comes to geopolitical strategies and Putin knows that. Furthermore, as long as no proof of American sabotage ever emerges, Germany has no justifications for aligning with anyone else and political outrage among Germans is unlikely.

Germany has declined to take any more gas from Nord Stream 2 and new routes to supply Europe with North American and Norwegian natural gas have been in discussion since the invasion.

Russia Will Be Officially named as The Guilty Party

After all is said and done, Russia will be the one blamed for the sabotage. That is, after all, the overall purpose of keeping the investigation tightly wrapped and away from German officials. Some within the German government could view an act of sabotage by Americans as an attack on Germany's well-being. Such a situation would cause political turbulence in the country and risk damaging trust between the two countries, especially as winter rolls in.

Unless loose lips start sinking ships, everything should go as planned.

In the coming months, “proof” will probably start to emerge that Russia sabotaged Nord Stream. As we have come to see over the past few years, the proof presented by authorities and experts cannot be questioned and must, at all costs, be accepted as the undeniable truth. Expect journalists, media and politicians to push full steam ahead with every piece of proof that comes out of the investigation between now and the new year.