Spewing natural gas at 80-to110 meters [262-360 feet] below the Baltic Sea surface, no one knows what accounted for the “unprecedented” damage to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, supplying in its hey day some 27,5 billion cubic meters each, running from Vyborg, Russia to the exact point in Lubmin, Germany. Nord Stream AG, operator of the pipelines said they sustained “unprecedented” damage, essentially cutting off supply of natural gas from Western Sibera’s Yamal Peninsula to Germany, Sweden and Denmark. No one knows what caused the damage yet but some suspect sabotage, maybe from Ukraine. “No option can be ruled out right now,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Peskov demanded an immediate investigation, not knowing whether Ukraine or some other malicious operator was responsible for the damage. Nord Stream 1 runs parallel on the sea floor to Nord Stream 2, the pipeline funded by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel for $11 billion.
Once the Ukraine war started, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz refused to get Nord Stream 2 certified to supply natural gas from Russia and Germany. Merkel once envisioned that Nord Stream 2 would carry cheap Russian natural gas to Germany for the foreseeable future. Peskov wants to know whether sabotage damaged to Nord Stream 1 pipeline, pointing fingers at Kiev. But Kiev also points finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin sabotaging the pipeline to halt natural gas supplies to the European Union. Logic behind Putin’s motives to sabotage his own self-interest makes zero sense. Ukraine has an ax to grind against Putin for his Ukraine War, looking to retaliate against Russia after the Kremlin continues to add to sovereign territory in Ukraine. “This is very concerning news. Indeed, are talking about some damage of an unclear nature to the pipeline in Denmark’s economic zone,” said Peskov.
Putin’s war in Ukraine has morphed from a border dispute with Kiev into a U.S. proxy war in Ukraine, supplying Kiev unlimited cash-and-weapons to fight the Russian Federation. When Biden made the war personal March 26 in Warsaw, Poland, he said Putin should no longer remain as Russian president. One month later April 26, Biden’s 69-year-old Defense Minister Lloyd Austin confirmed in Ramstein, Germany that the purpose of the proxy war in Ukraine was to degrade the Russian military to the point it could no longer wage war. If that’s no a declaration of war, than what is? Biden has been fighting to degrade the Russian military to the point Putin could no longer remain in power. Western news reports vary from Putin having a terminal illness to Russia losing massive amounts of territory in Ukraine. Any map of Russian-controlled territory proves that Putin has routed Ukraine over the last seven months.
When it comes to the Nord Stream 1 or Nord Stream 2 pipelines, it makes sense that Ukraine would have a vested interest in sabotaging any source of Russia’s natural gas and oil business. Zelensky has pulled out all the stops hoping to gain the upper hand in the Ukraine War, knowing, over the first seven months, that Kiev has lost a massive amount of sovereign territory on the Black Sea coast and all Ukraine’s strategic ports. So, looking to retaliate against the Kremlin, Ukraine would do anything, including create an environmental disaster in the Baltic Sea, to retaliate against Russia. Repairing the Nord Stream 1 or Nord Stream 2 pipelines won’t be easy when you consider the engineering marvel that constructed both pipelines using 100,000 24-ton concrete-weight coated steel pipes placed on the Baltic seabed 300 feet below the surface. Repairing the pipes won’t be easy.
Whether Scholz admits it or not, he’s worried about the lost of Russian natural gas providing heat to Germany’s population in a cold winter. With the latest sabotage, Germany receives nothing now, after being cut down by 75%, all because Scholz wants to punish Putin for the Ukraine War. Scholz didn’t buy Putin’s argument that Biden ran afoul with the Kremlin supplying Ukraine unlimited cash and weapons. Putin entered into the contract Merkel in good faith on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, only watching Scholz shut it down right before the Ukraine War. No one in the West buys Putin’s argument that Biden threatened Russian national security to supplying Ukraine unlimited lethal weapons. Putin considers Ukraine a puppet U.S. states sitting on his border, unwilling to accept that scenario. EU officials should look for ways to move the conflict to the peace table at the earliest possible time.
Sabotaging 27.5 billion cubic meters of natural Russian natural gas, shows that someone had an ax to grind in the Ukraine War. It makes zero sense that Putin would order his cash cow bombed to cut off natural gas supplies to Germany, Sweden and Denmark. All fingers point to Kiev or the CIA in sabotaging Russia’s engineering marvel, bring natural gas from Russia to Germany. Running about 1,224 km or 760.5 miles long Nord Stream 1 pipeline brought 27.5 billion cubic meters to German annually. Losing its natural gas supply, Germany will try to make up the difference but at much higher prices, fueling the worst inflation in the EU in 40 years. Plunging to 96 cents to the U.S. dollar, the EU is in dire straits economically because of the Ukraine War. It’s sheer madness for the EU not to apply pressure on Biden to end the conflict, letting Ukraine deal with the mess.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
