Who stands behind the sabotage at the Nord Stream

The Security Council failed to adopt a resolution, put forward by the representative of the Russian Federation, which would have established an international independent investigative commission into the September 2022 “acts of sabotage” committed on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.

By a vote of 3 in favour (Brazil, China, Russian Federation) to none against, with 12 abstentions, the Council rejected the draft resolution owing to a lack of sufficient votes in favour.

The resolution, if adopted, would have requested the Secretary-General to establish an international, independent investigation commission to conduct a comprehensive, transparent and impartial international investigation of all aspects of the act of sabotage on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines — including identification of its perpetrators, sponsors, organizers and accomplices.

This is an explanation of vote by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia after UNSC vote on a draft resolution regarding the acts of sabotage at the Nord Stream pipeline:

“I am afraid that after this vote the suspicion, who stands behind the sabotage at the Nord Stream, will but increase. Let me briefly remind of very basic facts in this regard. In plain view of the entire world, the United States and its allies did their best to preclude an objective international investigation regarding the blasts at the Nord Stream pipeline in September last year. First Washington make public threats at the highest level that they would blow up the pipe, then they scoffingly rejoiced at the news about the sabotage. In the meantime, mass media generated lots of speculations and very controversial and absurd (to say the least) versions who might have done it. All calls by Russia as an affected side to join the national investigations in Denmark, Germany, and Sweden, were turned down. All our written requests only received formal replies, this you had an opportunity to see with your own eyes. So here is my forecast. These so-called national investigations, where Russia takes no part, can go on for years. May I ask the representative of the United States what was so “predetermined” that he discovered in our draft resolution? You know the saying “a guilty conscience is never at ease”, don’t you? The United States routinely links this resolution to Ukraine, though not a single word about Ukraine was said in the document, and not only there.

When we raised the issue of an objective international investigation, the tactic of our American and European colleagues narrowed down to denying the involvement of the United States on the one hand and preventing a transparent and impartial inquiry into the circumstances of the sabotage on the other. The more evidence testifying to the involvement of Washington and its NATO allies came to surface, the more vocal the Western bloc was getting about alleged inexpediency of an international investigation.  

What does this mean? One does not need to be a detective or an analyst to realize that the United States and the allies are covering up the tracks, i.a. by adding more speculations and absurd versions while refusing to comment on the unflattering facts that are revealed. If the United States was interested in establishing the facts and holding the guilty to account, then Washington would act differently.

Colleagues, this vote was a litmus test to show what world each of us is moving toward. Is it a world where international law is upheld and where there is accountability for attacks against international pipeline systems and other infrastructure? Or is it a world where there are states who can do whatever they like, who devise laws for everyone to follow while calling it a “rules-based order”, and who are never held accountable even for most reckless and dangerous actions? Today’s vote confirmed with all certainty that our former Western partners believe they can get away with anything. Also, today we saw a nasty manifestation of Western “silent conspiracy” in the Security Council, which prevents this body from fulfilling its duties.

Of course, we will draw our conclusions. We are convinced that more detailed facts are yet to be discovered, and that everyone who is complicit in the sabotage of the Nord Stream will be identified, as well as all details of this crime. This is inevitable.”

Right of reply:

US representative: “Before Mr.Hersh published his findings, I cannot recall any Russian officials say that the United States had been guilty of this tragedy. Such speculations started only after the publication by S.Hersh.

Russian representative Vassily Nebenzia: I would like to ask my US colleague. How can you comment on the words of his President J.Biden, who said - “We will put an end to these pipes” - long before they were really put an end to?”

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