Nordstream was sabotaged purposely, and now, another crucial pipeline of Russia was about to get blown. However, the plan was thwarted. In a recent revelation by Transneft, multiple explosive devices were found at the Druzhba oil pipeline in the western Bryansk region. It is a network of pipelines that transports crude oil from Russia to several countries in Eastern and Central Europe. These revelations take one back to the Nord Stream pipelines incident.
The European Union (EU) has long been dependent on Russia for its energy supply, particularly natural gas. This reliance has created a complex and often fraught relationship between the EU and Russia, with energy politics frequently overshadowing other aspects of the relationship. While the EU has attempted to reduce its dependence on Russian energy in recent years, progress has been slow and difficult. But, after the Ukraine war, the motion gained a rapid momentum. The US actively pushed European allies to shift away from Russian energy. And so, many European nations followed the modus operandi. However, the US has always had a keen eye on Russia’s crucial energy links with Europe.
As Russia had a massive network of energy pipeline network over Europe, it was almost imminent that they would be attacked and so, it happened. Nord Stream 1 and 2 were attacked last September. The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines had adverse repercussions on entire Europe, especially on Germany. The damage resulted in pipelines being unable to supply any gas to Europe, as per the Eurasia Group. Similarly, analysts Henning Gloystein and Jason Bush noted that the leaks meant a permanent closure of both lines.
It must be noted that the US was the only country that forced Germany to halt the Nord Stream 2 pipeline certification. The US tried everything within its reach to hide the traces that could lead to accusations against US for the sabotage. However, lies don’t last forever. Later to the world, investigations and reports made it almost ardent that the US and only US sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines with help of adversaries. Yet, the old habits die hard and so, it appears the US has done something notorious, yet again.
The Druzhba attack
According to a media report by the Anadolu Agency, Russian oil company Transneft has claimed that multiple explosive devices were found at the Druzhba oil pipeline in the western Bryansk region. Two explosives were discovered at the Novozybkov oil pumping station, company spokesman Igor Demin has told Russian TASS news agency. He claimed that the devices, which destroyed non-industrial plastic manufacturing facilities, were dropped from drones. Demin added that the explosives’ metal balls, which serve as their warhead, were not that powerful and it intended to kill people rather than destroy the oil pumping station entirely.
For the unaware, The Druzhba pipeline, which translates to “friendship” in Russian, is a network of pipelines that transports crude oil from Russia to several countries in Eastern and Central Europe. The pipeline is over 5,500 kilometers long and has a capacity of around 1 million barrels per day, making it one of the largest and most important oil pipelines in the world. It is Russia’s second most crucial pipeline after NordStream pipeline.
The Druzhba pipeline has been a crucial source of energy for Europe since it was first built in the 1960s. It provides oil to countries such as Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, which once relied heavily on Russian oil to meet their energy needs. However, the Druzhba pipeline has also been a source of controversy and geopolitical tension. In 2019, a contamination issue led to the suspension of oil supplies to several European countries, highlighting the risks of dependence on a single source of energy.
Whereas, after the Ukraine war, several times, the oil supplies from the Druzhba oil pipeline have been halted. Despite these difficulties, Eastern-Central Europe and the Balkans still depend on the Druzhba pipeline as a source of energy. The pipeline continues to play a significant role in Europe’s energy mix for the foreseeable future despite US’ efforts to increase energy diversification and decrease reliance on Russian oil.
Read More: An energy-secured Germany blames US for Nord Stream sabotage for the first time
Biden’s headache
Biden along with adversaries like Zelensky and pro-Western leaders has often been seen calling for halting energy ties with Russia. And when they failed to impose their agenda on several nations, US decided to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. NordStream pipelines were destroyed entirely. The images where methane bubbles were rising from undersea made it almost imminent that Russia’s most crucial weapon, energy has got destroyed.
The US earlier tried to pass the buck on Russia for the sabotage, but, no logical reason was provided. Later on, thanks to Seymour Hersh, it got revealed to the world that US desperately bombed Nordstream with Norway to halve Russia’s dominance on Europe. Germany and other European countries took the report seriously and began criticizing the US for the sabotage and demanding justice. While the Eastern European countries, which have recently grown to be the most vocal in the EU, also did not spare any effort to cast doubt on the US’s sanity. As a result, these Eastern European countries significantly changed their stance on Ukrainian war effort. Surprisingly, the Druzhba oil pipeline provides a significant portion of the energy to these countries.
More surprisingly, the Bryansk region, where the explosives were recently found, was also the subject of controversial news a few days ago when Ukrainian terror groups attacked nearby Russian villages in an effort to retaliate for Russia’s aggression.
Read More: The secret European ally behind ‘US’ Nord Stream Sabotage’ – finally unveiled!
A plot in making? Or Derailed!!
Additionally, while “a lot of weapons and arms are coming,” the US has sent out portions of its 82nd and 101st elite airborne divisions close to the Ukrainian border. But why would the US try to destroy the pipeline on Russian territory? The answer is fairly simple.
Any attempt by the US to sabotage a pipe in Europe would immediately be considered an attack. Even if the US blames Russia for the attack, Biden and his crew will once more be exposed by investigations. If the pipeline is attacked in Ukraine, however, it will once again be linked to malafide business practices. The safest location will be on Russian territory, where the US lacks direct access or legal entry.
Bryansk Oblast is the region that is closest to the Ukrainian border, so even if an alleged attack occurs, those involved could easily return, passing any detection chances. In contrast to Druzhba’s blame in the Russian mainland, who will be held accountable? Obviously Russia
Read More: Ukraine is building wind turbines for Russia
The dependence of many European countries on Russian energy has created a complex and often fraught relationship between the EU and Russia, with energy politics frequently overshadowing other aspects of the relationship. Druzhba represents Russia’s last chance to maintain contact with Europe. Without it, Russia’s last bastion of power in Europe, the Eastern chunk would crumble, and Biden could guarantee that these countries would remain in his camp.
This is the only reason why there were explosives found on the Druzhba oil pipeline. Make no mistake, a more serious and heinous sabotage preparation could be well underway. Russia’s energy security could be in grave danger.
