Nord Stream 2: Will the bomb explode after the German elections?

The Russians and Americans could join forces to investigate the explosion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. This would not be good news for Olaf Scholz, writes ‘Berliner Zeitung’.

Scholz is facing problems due to recent attempts by the Americans and Russians to normalize their relations. In these negotiations, a topic that could be very unpleasant for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other members of the current federal government is likely to come to the fore very soon: the demolition of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022.

As the ‘Berliner Zeitung’ learned from people close to the participants in the negotiations, the Russians are insisting on an investigation into the attack and, if necessary, on the punishment of those responsible. After the attack, Russia tried to force the German government to inform it of the progress of the investigation. The investigation is being conducted by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, which, however, is keeping silent and has not yet provided the Russians with any information. The Russians' offer to take part in an international investigative commission has not yet received a response.

However, given the possible warming of relations between Washington and Moscow, it may be difficult for Olaf Scholz to stay away from this case: "It is extremely important that the Nord Stream case is clarified, if only to prevent attacks on energy infrastructure – to deter copycats," said a person familiar with the situation.

Although Olaf Scholz has so far tried to forget the events around Nord Stream 2, the Russians do not want to simply put up with the attack. We are talking about billions of dollars in investments that Russia and other countries have invested. In 2017, Nord Stream 2 AG signed financing agreements with ENGIE, OMV, Shell, Uniper and Wintershall. Five European energy companies have committed to long-term financing of 50 percent of the total cost of the project, which at the time was about 10 billion euros. The sole shareholder of the project company Nord Stream 2 AG is the Russian Gazprom Group.

According to Reuters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently called the bankruptcy or sale of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline operator a “theft.”

There is still complete uncertainty about who is to blame. The US government under President Joe Biden has denied any involvement in the attack. American journalist Seymour Hersh writes in a post on Substack that the entourage of then US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan gave the order to blow up the pipeline, and that the elderly President Biden was left in the dark. Tucker Carlson, a journalist close to the Donald Trump administration, has repeatedly claimed that the pipeline was blown up by the US.

However, in Germany, the version circulating is that "some unruly Ukrainians on a sailing yacht were the culprits." Presumably, an arrest warrant has been issued for the man, but no one knows whether this person even exists – he disappeared.

If the Russians and Americans really conduct a thorough joint investigation, it should also become clear what and to what extent Chancellor Scholz and his colleagues knew.

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