Ukraine admitted that it blew up Nord Stream back in 2022. Why on Earth did it feel the need to own up to that?
The mystery of who blew up the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea has finally been solved. Ukraine has officially taken responsibility for the act in a story broken by the Wall Street Journal. While the revelation that it was Ukraine is hardly surprising, as I wrote at the time they did have the most to gain from it, even if I thought they had help in conducting the operation, the fact that they owned up to it is baffling. Taking credit for what amounts to international sabotage which caused a massive hydrocarbon spill hardly engenders support, and doing so while Ukraine is already undertaking a risky and controversial offensive in Russia itself is just foolhardy.
Ukraine’s greatest supporters have for a long time been the Western press who thrive on lionising Zelensky and demonising Putin, and I think it is in no small part the glowing coverage most mainstream Western newspapers have given the Kursk offensive which has made it impossible for countries like Germany to voice how uneasy they are with the direction in which Ukraine is heading. I highly doubt that Western intelligence services really believed the press line that the Russians sabotaged Nord Stream, and if it is true that it was an open secret at the highest levels in NATO then it stands to reason that it wasn’t public knowledge for a reason. Ukraine seems to have predicted that many Western outlets would see the sabotage as an indication of daring and competence, but I think admitting fault was a mistake.
The official story from Ukraine is that Zelensky knew about the plan and originally endorsed it but withdrew his support when the CIA learned of the plan. To say that it sounds implausible is quite an understatement. It is a last minute and weak effort to save face for Zelensky, and from what I have read the press have largely bought the idea that Zelensky himself is not implicated. Why should Germany – the country which built Nord Stream with Russia – believe anything the Ukrainians have said about the sabotage? Now that the public knows Ukraine blew up the pipeline sending aid to Ukraine becomes more difficult for Germany, and now that the public knows that Zelensky approved of the plan it becomes more difficult for all German politicians to uphold good relations with Zelensky. Again, admitting fault was a mistake.
Ukraine lives by the grace of its Western backers, as I keep repeating Russia is a far larger state with a better arms industry which gives it the advantage in fundamentals which will almost certainly win it the war. In the last two weeks Ukraine has antagonised its allies by both invading Russia and now admitting its sabotage of one of its biggest backer’s energy infrastructure. Who blew up the pipeline should have remained a “mystery”.
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I've always been interested in politics, economics, and the interplay between. The blog is a place for me to explore different ideas and concepts relating to economics or politics, be that national or international. The goal for the blog is to make you think; to provide new perspectives.
Written by Karl Johansson
Sources:
https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/nord-stream-pipeline-explosion-real-story-da24839c?mod=hp_lead_pos7
Cover photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels, edited by Karl Johansson
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