When the images of exploded Nord Stream pipelines got uploaded on social media, it was almost certain that this was the end of Europe’s gas dependency on Russia. However, the pipelines are still operational.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced that it is technically possible to restore the ruptured offshore infrastructure of the Nord Stream gas pipelines and restore the gas supplies to Europe. But, before that could happen, the US is already chalking out new plans.
According to the Finnish news portal Ilta-Sanomat, four new explosions were detected in the Gulf of Finland on Thursday, October 20, in waters off the coast of Russia, around 40 kilometers southwest of Vyborg. Just about 30 kilometers separate the explosion site from the Finnish border.
Nord Stream: They are explosions
Everyone’s first reaction to the disturbance in seismic activity was a simple ‘earthquake’. But later, it was confirmed that the seismic disturbances were indeed explosions. According to SEISMOLOGIST Jari Kortström, the seismic incidents reported in the news are explosions.
There is a discussion regarding the causes of the explosions. According to Kortström, the mildest explosions can result from the dredging or deepening of the shipping channel. Similar explosions have been observed in front of Vuosaari, for instance, following the enlargement of the port’s shipping channel.
Another alternative is a simulation where mines or depth charges have been set off as the Finnish navy regularly exercises in this area. Here, this simulation seems to be most likely. But there’s something more to this explosion.
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Blast nears the Nord Stream 1
The recent explosions have taken place near the pathway of the Nord Stream pipeline, just 40km from Vyborg, where the Nord Stream 1 pipeline starts. So, it is highly likely that the exercise has been done to finish the Nord Stream pipeline remnants fully.
You see, the events are taking place as they did during the sabotage of Nord Stream pipelines. Even then, at the end of September, Finnish stations had observed explosions close to the Nord Stream pipes. This was before the real sabotage of Nord Stream 1 and 2 near Bornholm.
Furthermore, Estonia and Finland had previously promised to turn the Gulf of Finland into NATO’s internal sea, which entails a sea devoid of any trace of Russia and its resources. The Nord Stream pipelines are Moscow’s greatest asset in this Baltic Sea region. So, if the Nord Streams are finished as a whole, this would mean a significant triumph for the United States.
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US needs to pass the blame
The US has always seen the end of Nord Stream pipelines as a ‘tremendous opportunity.’ Also, the actions of its allies like Sweden and officials like Blinken have made it specific that the US blasted the Nord Stream pipelines.
The US knows that it needs to do a classy act to pass the blame for Nord Stream’s sabotage on Russia. This explains why there have been several abrupt explosions in the area of Vyborg, which is not far from the port of St. Petersburg.
Surprisingly, three weeks ago, when it was almost certain that Nord Stream 1 was still repairable, US officials started negotiating with Finland over a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA). More specifically, it was to define the status of American forces when they operate on Finnish territory.
Read More: Finland rejects NATO’s ambitions of creating a NATO Sea against Russia
The White House knows Helsinki authorities can go to any extent to please the Western grandmaster, that is, the USA, for NATO protection. The thing is, only Finland could get this near to Russia’s most significant port, not the US.
Therefore, there is a reasonable probability that another attack on the Nord Stream pipelines will occur, and only Russia will have to bear the brunt of this vicious crime. If that happens, the war, which is already escalating, would become a free fall, and the situation is set to go wild.
