After several months of investigations by various Western countries into the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, there is no evidence that Russia was behind it, the Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing sources.
“There is no evidence at this point that Russia is behind the sabotage,” a European official told the paper, echoing the assessment of 23 diplomatic and intelligence officials in nine countries whom The Washington Post had interviewed in recent weeks.
Some Western officials told the paper they did not believe Russia was responsible for what happened.
“Others who still consider Russia the prime suspect said positively attributing the attack to any country, maybe impossible,” the newspaper said.
However, even those familiar with the ins and outs of the forensic examination cannot conclusively link Russia to the attack, according to a US publication.
The newspaper’s sources say that US intelligence regularly intercepts the conversations of government officials in Russia and the military, but so far, “analysts have not heard or read any statements from the Russian side that take credit for or suggest they are looking for to hide their involvement.”
“A handful of officials complained that so many world leaders have pointed the finger at Moscow without considering other countries, as well as extremist groups, who may have the capability and motive to carry out the attack.”
Some officials interviewed by the newspaper complain that “many world leaders have pointed the finger at Moscow” without taking into account that other countries, as well as extremist groups with their own motivations, could have carried out the attacks.
“Governments that waited to comment before drawing conclusions have been playing with this right,” said an unnamed European official quoted by the newspaper.
The saga of the rupture of the Nord Stream gas pipeline
At the end of September, three leaks were detected in a few hours along the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. The first of these was discovered along Nord Stream 2 near the Danish island of Bornholm. Then the other two leaks along Nord Stream 1 were discovered.
An interesting coda on the Nordstream explosions: even after months of investigation, Western intelligence can’t definitively say who the perpetrator was.
— Emma Ashford (@EmmaMAshford) December 22, 2022
Leaves us in the same place: it was likely Russia, but other possibilities can’t be ruled out.https://t.co/TuOOXmhdG6
Subsequently, Swedish seismologists recorded two explosions on the routes of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
On November 18, the Swedish public prosecutor’s office said the pipeline explosions were sabotage, and an investigation was ongoing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the Anglo-Saxons of sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines, noting that they actually embarked on the destruction of the energy infrastructure of the entire European continent. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Russia’s attempts to participate in the investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream project have met with resistance, which would surprise many in Germany, Sweden, and Denmark.
