Deep in the Baltic Sea, two gas pipelines – Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 – lie empty. NS2 had not shipped a single molecule to Germany from Russia thanks to Moscow’s illegal invasion of Ukraine at the beginning of this year.
At the end of September, the Danish and Swedish governments detected significant leaks of gas coming from both pipelines. An investigation by the coastguard revealed that explosions had ripped holes in the pipes.
No one has claimed responsibility for the act of sabotage, although most logic points towards a Kremlin-sanctioned operation. The damage might let state-run firm Gazprom off the hook for compensation payments and only a state actor would have the resources to pull it off.
More far-fetched theories say that the United States was behind the damage after President Joe Biden had previously said that his administration would make sure Nord Stream 2 would never be used.
The idea of a US-led op, like the Nord Stream pipes, is full...