The Nord Stream Attack Anniversary

 

Three years ago, the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines were severely damaged by explosions in the Baltic Sea. The sabotage severed a major energy link and kicked off one of the most contentious international investigations in modern history.

Here are the key facts about the incident:

• Nord Stream was constructed between 2010 and 2012.
• The total length of the offshore section was 760 miles. Construction costs were approximately $8.7 billion. Nord Stream accounted for 32% of Gazprom's total export supplies to countries outside the former Soviet Union and about 15% of the natural gas consumption across the EU.
• Nord Stream 2 was completed by December 2021, and technical gas injection was carried out. However, German regulatory authorities never gave permission for it to begin operations.
• On the night of September 26, 2022, Nord Stream 2 AG registered a pressure drop on one of the two lines of Nord Stream 2. The incident occurred in Denmark's exclusive economic zone. Later that evening, pressure also dropped on both lines of Nord Stream. Swedish seismologists registered two explosions along the pipelines' routes.
• On September 28, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation initiated a case on an act of international terrorism.
• The fact of sabotage was confirmed by Swedish intelligence services on November 18, after traces of explosives were found at the blast sites.

The Shifting Narrative of Blame

• February 8, 2023: American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh claimed that U.S. Navy divers planted the explosive devices under the pipelines in June 2022, using the BALTOPS exercises as cover. White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, stated that there was "not a shred of truth" in Hersh's article.
• March 7, 2023: The New York Times reported that the sabotage may have been carried out by an unnamed "pro-Ukrainian group," which allegedly acted without the knowledge of U.S. authorities.
• March 7, 2023: Germany’s Die Zeit reported that German investigators had identified the vessel used by the saboteurs. The company that chartered it was allegedly owned by Ukrainian citizens and registered in Poland.
• Later, The Times reported that European intelligence agencies knew the name of a "private sponsor" of the sabotage. His identity was not disclosed by intelligence services, but he was reportedly a wealthy Ukrainian who was supposedly not connected to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
• In 2025, Die Zeit reported that German investigators have likely identified the identities of all saboteurs. According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, and the ARD television channel, German law enforcement agencies have likely established the names of seven suspects, and arrest warrants have been issued for six Ukrainian citizens.
• August 21: The first suspect, a Ukrainian named Serhiy Kuznetsov, was detained in Italy. On September 16, the Bologna court ordered his extradition to Germany. An appeal against this decision is currently being considered in Italy.