DISINFO: American and Norwegian divers blew up Nord Stream
SUMMARY
Long before the attack on the Nord Stream, the US had a reputation for espionage and organisation of coups in other countries, but still called itself a good guy. After the destruction of the pipeline in September 2022, the US went silent. American divers planted explosives under the Nord Stream under the pretext of NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea, while the Norwegians set them off remotely a few weeks after they were planted. Despite the fact that the White House has officially denied any US involvement, the US government and secret services have a long history of promotion of their interests through espionage and sabotage.
RESPONSE
Disinformation alleging that the US is behind the recent sabotage explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
Investigative journalist, and Vietnam War-era Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, Seymour Hersh claims that the US was behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines last year. In a self-published report, Hersh wrote a story allegedly based on one anonymous source, that US Navy divers helped by Norway had planted explosives on the pipelines running under the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany last June and detonated them three months later.
A number of factcheckers have pointed to numerous flaws in Hersh's story, which has received attention from Kremlin.
White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson described Hersh's report as "complete fiction." A Central Intelligence Agency spokesperson echoed the White House denial, calling the report "completely and utterly false."
Asked about Hersh's claim that Oslo supported the operation, the Norwegian foreign ministry said: "These claims are false."
Sweden, Germany, and Denmark investigated the incident. The preliminary Danish investigation only found that the leaks in the pipelines were caused by powerful explosions. Sweden’s authorities found evidence of detonations, thus strengthening suspicions of “gross sabotage”. But so far investigations by Swedish, Danish, and German authorities have not pinned the blame on any one country or actor.
For a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the issue, please read Nord Stream 1 & 2 sabotage - disinformation a la MH-17.