According to the International Energy Agency, in 2021, the European Union received 45% of its natural gas from Russia. This is nearly 40% of the EU’s total natural gas consumption. This natural gas is used for personal consumption, heating and for the production of nitrogenous fertilizer. Transportation of this fuel was delivered through the Nordstream pipelines. These pipelines run about 760 miles under the Baltic Sea from Vyborg, Russia to Lubmin, Germany. These pipelines are owned by the Russian multinational energy corporation Gazprom (majority state owned) and came online in August of 2011.
The initial pipelines (Nordstream 1) had been criticized by American political leaders for giving Russia a near monopoly and extensive influence over the EU for natural gas access. A second set of pipelines (Nordstream 2) were completed in late 2021, but were not made operational.
In late January 2022, as Russian forces gathered for a suspected invasion of Ukraine, United States Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, threatened to destroy Nordstream 2 if Russia invaded Ukraine. Then, just over a week later, US President Joe Biden reiterated the threat in Washington DC, while meeting with the German Chancellor.
On February 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine. The United States placed economic sanctions upon Russia. In subsequent congressional testimony, on March 12, 2022, Nuland referred to the effects of the sanctions, saying Nordstream 2 was “dead” and “a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea.” Yet, it was not damaged at that time and despite being shut down, it could be operational.
During the summer of 2022, Gazprom reduced, and then shut down Nordstream 1, blaming maintenance issues and the inability to get parts for repair from Canada because of the US sanctions. This natural gas halt spiked prices for the commodity in the EU and created fears of shortages for the upcoming winter.
Then, on September 26, 2022 multiple underwater explosions destroyed the Nordstream pipelines. As a result of the explosions, natural gas was released into the Baltic Sea from the sabotaged pipeline. No one claimed responsibility for this potential act of war. The United States, under the Biden Administration, had the motive, the ability to do the strike, had made the threat, but remained silent and did not take responsibility. Russia blamed the US.
Nuland’s prophetic description of the pipeline as a “hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea” had become a reality.
The saboteur remains unknown as of this writing. However, on February 8, 2023, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published a stunning article indicating that the US was responsible for the attack on the Nordstream pipelines.
The global consequence of this incident remains to be determined.
Additional Reading
Pipeline Background (European Perspective)
