German investigators determined that the Russian gas pipeline explosions in the Baltic Sea were caused by sabotage – WSJ

German investigators have determined that the series of explosions at the bottom of the Baltic Sea along the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 underwater gas pipelines were caused by sabotage.

The Wall Street Journal reports about this with reference to the officials familiar with the investigation.

These gas pipelines are located on the seabed and transport natural gas from Russia to Europe.

German investigators haven’t been able to definitively link the suspected sabotage to any one actor, but some German officials say they are working under the assumption that Russia was behind the blasts.

As a result of the explosions, three of four pipes of the Russian gas pipelines lost their tightness, and a gas leak was recorded there.

European seismologists even made records of underground tremors from explosions.

The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) claims that the first shock occurred at 4 am on September 26, and the next one was at around 5 pm local time.

“Earthquakes” were recorded by a seismograph from the Danish island of Bornholm.

Unnamed German officials believe that it is unlikely that the sabotage was committed by a military submarine. This version is rejected due to the relatively shallow depth of the sea and the usual careful surveillance of submarines in the area.

According to one of the working versions, the explosive devices were lowered from the ship and then detonated remotely.

The only pipeline that remained intact after the explosions was one of the two strands of Nord Stream 2, which Germany refused to certify after Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine.

Some German officials say that with only one strand of the pipeline remaining operational, Russia is trying to increase pressure on German politicians to get Nord Stream 2 up and running.