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Specialized US Navy diving teams carried out the bombing of the Nord Stream submarine pipelines that supply Russian gas to Western Europe in a top-secret mission led by President Joe Biden, a bombshell report claims.
Divers placed C4 explosives on three Nord Stream pipelines in June 2022, which were detonated three months later using a sonar buoy that sent out a signal that set off the bombs, the report said.
The attack was carried out in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and was intended to force Germany and other European countries to end their dependence on Russian gas, it is alleged. The move would also disrupt Moscow’s revenue from gas sales, which contributed billions of dollars to the war effort.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh’s sensational report, published on its Substackquotes a source “with direct knowledge of operational planning” behind the alleged plot.
Nord Stream 1 and 2 were sabotaged by bomb explosions on September 26, 2022, in an attack that still apparently baffles investigators. While analysts say the immediate impact of the attack was “limited” – because the pipelines were not fully operational – the geopolitical ramifications were huge.
Several theories have been put forward as to who carried out the attack and how. Both the US and Russia deny responsibility. A new report by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh quotes a source as claiming the Nord Stream blasts were a US plot overseen by the president
The Nord Stream pipelines – which cost about $20 billion and took 15 years to build – were an important part of Europe’s energy infrastructure. It is alleged that the US carried out the attack in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to curb Europe’s dependence on gas from Moscow.
Russia, which has pointed the finger at the US, reportedly believes repairs will cost at least $500 million, but the Kremlin has still not confirmed that the pipes will be repaired. The Nord Stream project cost about $20 billion and took 15 years to build.
In a compelling 5,000-word report on the alleged attack, Hersh claims that diving experts trained at the U.S. Navy Diving and Salvage Center in Florida planted the explosives.
The divers carried out the top secret and extremely dangerous operation during BALTOPS22, a series of military exercises in the Baltic Sea conducted by 16 NATO countries. The American divers are said to have used the highly publicized, 13-day event in June 2022 as a cover for their top-secret mission.
The C4 explosives attached to the pipelines were fitted with sensors that would allow them to be detonated remotely later, Hersh reports.
Hersh reports that the explosions were caused by a sonar buoy dropped by an aircraft. The buoy emitted a series of “unique low-frequency tonal sounds,” compared to those produced by a flute or piano, which activated the C4.
A White House spokesman said the report is “false and complete fiction.” A CIA spokesman said: “This claim is completely and utterly false.”
Joe Biden reportedly oversaw the plot, but the White House and CIA have said the report is “false.” Vladimir Putin has accused the US of involvement in the attack
Thousands of tons of natural gas spilled into the Baltic Sea after the explosions, creating a dangerous swell that disrupted shipping and sparked fears of an environmental catastrophe
