The Russian government initially accused a British unit of the Royal Navy as the prime suspect in the sabotage. But evidence suggests the blame lies elsewhere.
According to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh, an investigative reporter, the answer lies elsewhere. Hersh claims in his Substack blog that divers belonging to the United States navy detonated explosives to collapse the pipeline following approval from President Joe Biden.
The White House denies allegations made by Hersh, but footage from a year ago appears to corroborate his accusations.
In the video clip, President Biden refers to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline saying the US will “shut it down.” A reporter then asks how he will achieve that as it lies within Germany’s control. Biden responds, “We will, I promise you, we’ll be able to do it”.
In his blog, Hersh says: “Last June, the Navy divers, operating under the cover of a widely publicized mid-summer NATO exercise known as BALTOPS 22, planted the remotely triggered explosives that, three months later, destroyed three of the four Nord Stream pipelines, according to a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning.”
When asked to comment, White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson said: “This claim is completely and utterly false.”
Hersh claims the explosives were detonated to dent Putin’s need for a financial advantage.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has called on NATO to hold an emergency meeting to discuss Hersh’s comments.
Photo: US Navy
Stanisland Magazine 