Accused on all sides in the explosion of the Nord Stream underwater gas pipelines, Russia “may not be responsible for the sabotage”. The first conclusions of an investigation lasting several months show that “nothing conclusively binds Moscow to the attack”reports the Washington Post. “Moscow’s condemnation was swift and widespread”we read in the article published on Wednesday.
“There is no evidence at this stage that Russia was behind the sabotage”, said a European official whose identity was not revealed by the American daily. The experts who carried out the investigation did not succeed, on the basis “medico-legal details”, to bind “conclusively Russia on the attack”.
Anyone could be the author of these explosions
The evidence adduced by the United States, namely a eavesdropping “Communications from Russian military officials and forces”was also not enough to confirm the charges against Moscow. “Analysts have not heard or read any statements from the Russian side taking credit or suggesting they were trying to cover up their involvement”explains the Washington Post.
The remains of the gas pipelines and the recovered residues of the explosives do not reduce the range of possibilities as to the perpetrators of this act. The American daily explains that the relatively shallow depth of the damaged pipes suggests that “different actors could have carried out the attack”using “submersible drones” or of “surface ships”.
A German government official, who is conducting his own investigation, said explosives appeared to have been placed outside the structures. However, the “Russia remains a major suspect”, who “would have sought to destabilize the determination of NATO” and weaken the “allies who depend on Russian energy sources”. A hypothesis rejected by several skeptics, who believe that “Moscow had little to gain from damaging gas pipelines” which generate “billions of dollars in annual revenue”.
The charges against “Russia were thus deemed hasty”, Do not have “taking into account other countries, as well as extremist groups, that may have the ability and motive to carry out the attack.”
NATO-Russia, waltz of accusations
Just a few days after these explosions, accusations against the Kremlin began to rain down. US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said he “It is highly unlikely that these incidents are a coincidence”, blaming Russia. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck also hinted: “Russia saying ‘It wasn’t us’ is like saying ‘I’m not the thief’”. An adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky, whose country is at war with Russia, called the explosions “planned terrorist attack” by his neighbor who “attacked the European Union”.
Russia, in turn, on September 28 accused the United States of being behind this sabotage. The Kremlin is not the only one to defend this hypothesis. The day before, on September 27, the American journalist from the chain Fox NewsTucker Carlson, openly expressed his suspicions about the possible responsibility of the Biden administration in the sabotage of the gas pipelines.
“If you were Vladimir Putin, you would have to be a suicidal moron to blow up your own energy conduits (…) it’s the only thing you would ever do”because “gas pipelines are the main source of your power and your wealth, but, above all, your lever of pressure on other countries”, he hammered. For its part, the White House, which refused to “confirm” an act of sabotage, disputed these charges. Washington claimed he was “ridicule” to insinuate that the United States was involved in these explosions. The accusations were all the more insistent as Joe Biden was already threatening, at the beginning of the current year, that “if Russia invades Ukraine, then there will be no more Nord Stream 2”.
Many people adhere to Tucker Carlson’s thesis. Questioned on LCI on October 5 about the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, General Henri Pinard-Legry evoked a “cluster of clues” which oriented towards an involvement “American or at least NATO”.
The Kremlin accused, on November 11, the United Kingdom of being at the origin of these explosions. “Our intelligence services have evidence to suggest the attack was directed and coordinated by British military specialists”, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. A statement rejected by the British, who denounced “fake news”.
A few days later, Sweden confirmed, through its prosecutor in charge of the preliminary investigation, sabotage. “The analyzes that have been carried out show remnants of explosives on several of the foreign objects discovered”said Mats Ljungqvist.