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"Nord Stream gas pipelines will be attacked", the CIA warned the EU a few weeks ago

2022-09-28 11:43:01Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

"Nord Stream gas pipelines will be attacked", the CIA warned the EU a

A CIA warning weeks ago that the Nord Stream pipeline could be attacked has been revealed recently, as explosions opened three major cracks in two major gas links that Western leaders say are the result of sabotage.

Agents sent a 'strategic warning' to European allies including Germany over the summer that the pipes were at risk, sources told Der Spiegel last night, although they declined to say whether Russia had been identified as the culprit. The warning was not specific and did not set a time or location for an attack, the New York Times added.

However, grave suspicion of the attack has fallen on the Kremlin - with European officials informing the Washington Post last night that "no one is thinking this is anything other than Russian sabotage". But the allies currently lack sufficient evidence to publicly blame Moscow, they added.

Russia certainly has the capacity to carry out such an attack. It has the largest fleet of spy submarines in the world and has spent years updating its capabilities. The Belgorod - a stealthy nuclear-powered submarine - can sabotage underwater cables and could also be used to target a pipeline, experts and analysts said.

The location of the explosions, in waters about 230 meters deep, is shallow enough for divers to reach, and Russia has direct access to the Baltic Sea from Kaliningrad. Moscow has also invested in underwater drones that can be used to blow pipes that are located outside St. Petersburg, which can enter the Baltic through the Gulf of Finland.

As for the motive, the explosions came on the same day that Poland, Norway and Denmark opened a new pipeline that runs under the Baltic, which is designed to supply Central and Eastern Europe without relying on Russia. As one European official said last night, it could be designed as a warning to Europe that its infrastructure is vulnerable.

Norway - now Europe's most important gas supplier - has reported unidentified drones buzzing over its drilling rigs in recent days and on Tuesday stepped up security amid warnings they could be targeted. Denmark, whose territorial waters cross the area where the explosions occurred, has also moved to secure its own platforms.

Gas prices — which had fallen to normal levels from historic highs earlier in the year — also rose 19 percent late Tuesday as news of the attack spread, suggesting a second motive: To spook the markets and raise costs for Europe just as leaders were at the helm of the energy crisis.

Finally, it comes against the backdrop of Putin continuing the war in Ukraine while increasing his threats to the West. Fake referendums held at gunpoint in occupied Ukraine returned an entirely predictable 90 percent majority in favor of joining Russia yesterday - with Putin now expected to annex them by the end of the week.


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