It sure ain't Senile Joe.
Posted on 09/28/2022 12:19:23 PM PDT by Cathi
The sabotage of the Nord Stream (NS) and Nord Stream 2 (NS2) pipelines in the Baltic Sea has ominously propelled 'Disaster Capitalism' to a whole new, toxic level.
This episode of Hybrid Industrial/Commercial War, in the form of a terror attack against energy infrastructure in international waters signals the absolute collapse of international law, drowned by a “our way or the highway”, “rules-based”, order.
The attack on both pipelines consisted of multiple explosive charges detonated in separate branches close to the Danish island of Bornholm, but in international waters.
That was a sophisticated operation, carried out in stealth in the shallow depth of the Danish straits. That would in principle rule out submarines (ships entering the Baltic are limited to a draught of 15 meters). As for prospective “invisible” vessels, these could only loiter around with permission from Copenhagen – as the waters around Borholm are crammed with sensors, reflecting fear of incursion by Russian submarines.
Swedish seismologists registered two underwater explosions on Monday – one of them estimated at 100 kg of TNT. Yet as much as 700 kg may have been used to blow up three separate pipeline nodes. Such amount could not have possibly been delivered in just one trip by underwater drones currently available in neighboring nations.
The pressure on the pipelines dropped exponentially. The pipes are now filled with seawater.
The pipes on both NS and NS2 can be repaired, of course, but hardly before the arrival of General Winter. The question is whether Gazprom – already focused on several hefty Eurasian customers - would bother, especially considering that Gazprom vessels could be exposed to a possible NATO naval attack in the Baltic.
German officials are already spinning that NS and NS2 can “potentially” be out of commission “forever”. The EU economy and EU citizens badly needed that gas supply. Yet the EUrocracy in Brussels – which rules over nation-states – would not follow, because they have been dictated themselves by the Empire of Chaos, Lies and Plunder. A case can be made that this Euro-oligarchy should one day be tried for treason.
As it stands, a strategic irreversibility is already self-evident; the population of several EU nations will pay a tremendous price and suffer serious consequences derived from this attack, short, medium and long term.
Cui bono?
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson admitted that was “a matter of sabotage”. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen admitted “it was not an accident”. Berlin agrees with the Scandinavians.
Now compare it with former Polish Defense Minister (2005-2007) Radek Sikorski, a Russophobe married to rabid US “analyst” Anne Applebaum, who merrily tweeted “Thank you, USA”.
It gets curiouser and curiouser when we know that simultaneously to the sabotage the Baltic Pipe from Norway to Poland was partially opened, a “new gas supply corridor” servicing “the Danish and Polish markets”: actually a minor affair, considering months ago their sponsors were in trouble finding gas, and now it will be even harder, with much higher costs.
NS2 had already been attacked – in the open - all along its construction. Back in February, Polish ships actively tried to prevent the Fortuna pipe-laying vessel from finishing NS2. The pipes were being laid south of – you guessed it – Bornholm.
NATO for its part has been very active on the underwater drones department. The Americans have access to long distance Norwegian underwater drones which can be modified with other designs. Alternatively, professional navy clearance divers could have been employed in the sabotage – even as tidal currents around Bornholm are a serious matter.
The Big Picture reveals the collective West in absolute panic, with Atlanticist “elites” willing to resort to anything – outrageous lies, assassinations, terrorism, sabotage, all out financial war, support to neo-Nazis – to prevent their descent into a geopolitical and geoeconomic abyss.
Disabling NS and NS2 represents the definitive closure of any possibility of a German-Russia deal on gas supplies, with the added benefit of relegating Germany to the lowly status of absolute US vassal.
So that brings us to the key question of which Western intel apparatus designed the sabotage. Prime candidates are of course CIA and MI6 – with Poland set up as the fall guy and Denmark playing a very dodgy part: it’s impossible that Copenhagen was not at least “briefed” on the intel.
Prescient as ever, as early as in April 2021 Russians were asking questions about the military security of Nord Stream.
The crucial vector is that we may be facing the case of a EU/NATO member involved in an act of sabotage against the number one EU/NATO economy. That’s a casus belli. Outside of the appalling mediocrity and cowardice of the current administration in Berlin, it’s clear that the BND – German intel – as well as the German Navy and informed industrialists sooner or later will do the math.
This was far from an isolated attack. On September 22 there was an attempt against Turkish Stream by Kiev saboteurs. The day before, naval drones with English language IDs were found in Crimea, suspected of being part of the plot. Add to it US helicopters overflying the future sabotage nodes weeks ago; a UK “research” vessel loitering in Danish waters since mid-September; and NATO tweeting about the testing of "new unmanned systems at sea" on the same day of the sabotage.
Show me the (gas) money
The Danish Minister of Defense met urgently with NATO’s Secretary General this Wednesday. After all the explosions happened very close to Denmark’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). That may be qualified as crude kabuki at best; exactly on the same day, the European Commission (EC), NATO’s de facto political office, advanced its trademark obsession: more sanctions against Russia, including the certified-to-fail cap on oil prices.
Meanwhile, EU energy giants are bound to lose big time with the sabotage.
The roll call includes the German Wintershall Dea AG and PEG/ E.ON; the Dutch N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie; and the French ENGIE. Then there are those which financed NS2: Wintershall Dea again as well as Uniper; Austrian OMV; ENGIE again; and British-Dutch Shell. Wintershall Dea and ENGIE are both co-owners and creditors. Their fuming shareholders will want serious answers from a serious investigation.
It gets worse: there are no holds barred anymore on the Pipeline Terror front. Russia will be on red alert not only for Turk Stream but also Power of Siberia. Same for the Chinese and their maze of pipelines arriving in Xinjiang.
Whatever the methodology and the actors who were in the loop, this is payback – in advance - for the inevitable collective West defeat in Ukraine. And a crude warning to the Global South that they will do it again. Yet action always breeds reaction: from now on, “funny things” could also happen to US/UK pipelines in international waters.
The EU oligarchy is reaching an advanced process of disintegration at lightning speed. Their window of opportunity to at least attempt a role as a strategically autonomous geopolitical actor is now closed.
These EUROcrats now face a serious predicament. Once it’s clear who are the perpetrators of the sabotage in the Baltic, and once they understand all the life-changing socio-economic consequences for pan-EU citizens, the kabuki will have to stop. Including the already running, uber-ridiculous subplot that Russia blew up its own pipeline when Gazprom could simply have turned off the valves for good.
And once again, it gets worse: Gazprom is threatening to sue the Ukrainian energy company Naftofgaz for unpaid bills. That would lead to the end of Russian gas transiting Ukraine towards the EU.
As if all of that was not serious enough, Germany is contractually obligated to purchase at least 40 billion cubic meters of Russian gas a year until 2030.
Just say no? They can’t: Gazprom is legally entitled to get paid even without shipping gas. That’s the spirit of a long-term contract. And it's already happening: because of sanctions, Berlin does not get all the gas it needs but still needs to pay.
All the devils are here
Now it's painfully clear the imperial velvet gloves are off when it comes to the vassals. EU independence: verboten. Cooperation with China: verboten. Independent trade connectivity with Asia: verboten. The only place for the EU is to be economically subjugated to the US: a tawdry remix of 1945-1955. With a perverse neoliberal twist: we will own your industrial capacity, and you will have nothing.
The sabotage of NS and NS2 is inbuilt in the imperial wet dream of breaking up the Eurasian land mass into a thousand pieces to prevent a trans-Eurasia consolidation between Germany (representing the EU), Russia and China: $50 trillion in GDP, based on purchasing power parity (PPP) compared to the US’s $20 trillion.
We must go back to Mackinder: control of the Eurasian land mass constitutes control of the world. American elites and their Trojan Horses across Europe will do whatever it takes not to give up their control.
“American elites” in this context encompass the deranged, Straussian neo-con-infested “intel community” and the Big Energy, Big Pharma and Big Finance that pays them and who profits not only from the Deep State’s Forever War approach but also wants to make a killing out of the Davos-concocted Great Reset.
The Raging Twenties started with a murder – of Gen Soleimani. Blowing up pipelines is part of the sequel. There will be a highway to hell all the way to 2030. Yet to borrow from Shakespeare, hell is definitely empty, and all the (Atlanticist) devils are here.
Pepe Escobar is an independent geopolitical analyst and author. His latest book is Raging Twenties. He’s been politically canceled from Facebook and Twitter. Follow him on Telegram.
(The views expressed in this article are author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of Press TV.)
All that money Ukraine paid Big Guy through his son, and Brandon still stirs up Russia to be even harder on Ukraine.
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Lots of information here, however no one has yet claimed responsibility so speculation runs rampant.
It sure ain't Senile Joe.
“ All that money Ukraine paid Big Guy through his son, and Brandon still stirs up Russia to be even harder on Ukraine”
This will continue until all the witnesses are liquidated, even down to the last Ukrainian…
Has anyone bothered to think that this was NATO destroying two Russian pipelines? What is Russia going to do now in retaliation?
This reeks of gulf of Tonkin
IMHO it’s EU destroying the pipelines so that the EU leaders can keep pushing their green madness. Right now the EU masses are getting restless about energy and are tired of hearing the EU blame Russia. Damaging the pipelines gives the EU leaders false credence in saying, “See? Nat gas is not dependable even if we’re on good terms with Russia. We need more green energy.”
“It would be nice to know who is running our country, pushing us into WW3. Is that too much to ask?”
Why? WW3 will be FUN!!! Sure, 90% of Americans will be killed, but out in the country here, I’ll be in that 10%, go hunt me some deer, and live off the land!!!
But seriously...if Trump were president doing 2% of this crap, he would have been removed by now. But Republicans:
“We have to speak with one voice on foreign policy (even if that means having the country needless nuked off the map). We must show comity with the Democrats, so we will not be commenting on this (suicidal policy).”
Sincerely, the (castrated) GOP.
I just did a quick check of a very well-known liberal website. There is zero mention of this pipeline sabotage. Literally no one is talking about it. It’s as if the explosions never happened.
Very odd. You’d think someone would post about it, if only to somehow blame Trump.
“What is Russia going to do now in retaliation?”
Don’t know, but if communication with Europe becomes more difficult and much slower, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Pepe Escobar:
This column by Helmer is a killer. He must have got it from Russian intel sources. Of course, the Russians already know who did it (satellites, electronic monitoring working 24/7). Helmer goes all out for the bloody Poles, Navy + Special Forces (quite plausible; very good internal details); American planning and technical support (extra plausible); aid by Danish and Swedish military (plausible).
That ties in completely with my conversation with a German intel source: he said the BND was pissed because THEY WERE NOT IN THE LOOP!!!!! Of course not: this was an anti-German op. That may turn out metastasizing into an intra-NATO war. APPROVED BY THE AMERICANS - as in the neo-con Neanderthals who are running the government machine behind the senile teleprompter reader.
That’s the point of my column: a declaration of war against Germany and against the CITIZENS of the EU - not Brussels (NATO runs Brussels, not sadomaso domina von der Lugen). No wonder the Germans are absolutely mum. NO ONE from the German government is saying ANYTHING. This ain’t pretty. There WILL be blood.
Could be, but he/she/it is such a horrible writer I gave up after the first paragraph.
. Right now the EU masses are getting restless about energy and are tired of hearing the EU blame Russia. Damaging the pipelines gives the EU leaders false credence in saying, “See? Nat gas is not dependable even if we’re on good terms with Russia. We need more green energy.”
‐——————
Which is why good old reliable solar and wind power is ready to step in and make up the shortfall. By 2075. Maybe. Just hold out until then.
While I too fully suspect this was a US Deep State operation, I see this differently from how he sees it. He sees it as America reducing various European countries to the state of vassals and talks about the great economic harm being cut off from Russian energy will cause them.
I’d like to point out their utter dependence on Russian energy was always extremely naive, shortsighted and avoidable. The economic harm they will suffer is entirely their own fault for decades of very foolish political decisions. They never needed be so dependent on another country (Russia) that was always a competitor at best if not an adversary. They allowed idiotic Gaia Worship to guide their energy policy choices and took advice from an autistic Swedish teenage high school dropout when they could have kept open their nuclear power plants and built more, when they could have fracked their own oil and gas, when they could have mined their own coal, when they could have built LNG terminals and more storage capacity and secured long term contracts with other suppliers.
There was simply no thought given to security. Instead, they chose to freeload off of America for their security. They chose to let America run all the risks, pay all the bills, do whatever fighting was necessary, etc while they sat there doing business with the very country they demanded America provide them security against and while they arrogantly laughed when warned that they needed to make themselves more energy independent. The Germans for example refused to keep their word to provide a measly 2% of GDP for defense. They didn’t even come close to that in fact. They were hardly alone in that among European countries.
They’re not laughing now.
Agreed. Now I like my home solar. But I'm not trying to run a city or state with it. I'm not even trying to be 100% dependent on it. The only reason it works for me is because its purpose is to cut down on the sky high costs the Dims are putting onto us.
There are state actors e.g. North Korea, Iran, Pakistan etc who could pull something like this off. Launch a submersible drone with explosives from a third party flagged freighter for example. The NATO theory is one of many. Proof is needed at this point before WW3 erupts.
You know to the dummy that think Russia blew up the pipe line...
the ONLY USE was for Russia to sell and sent gas to the west....
So if they wanted, Russia could have just said we’re no longer selling gas to the West
And then destroyed all the pipeline on their land out to the International waters
And do it very publicly...
As No one could say a word
it’s their land
it’s their gas
and they don’t want to sell it
This was done by someone other than Russia
That didn’t want Russia to have the ability to sell gas to Europe
Or the USS Maine.
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