Russia Had Both Opportunity and Motive to Blow Up Nord Stream: What Researchers Found

The Danish Armed Forces have 122 photos showing six Russian ships near the Nord Stream pipeline four days before it was blown up. One of the ships, the SS-750, was carrying a mini-submarine.

According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS), citing former Danish intelligence analyst Jakob Kaarsbo, these images suggest Russian naval activity near the site.

Some politicians and experts argue that the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office has focused too heavily on Ukraine in its investigation. They claim the theory of Ukrainian involvement is inconsistent, while evidence points to Russia. “Moscow had the motive,” notes author Konrad Schuller.

The position of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, presented at the parliamentary justice committee meeting on October 8, was criticized. It stated that the investigation is focused solely on Ukraine, while Russia has been excluded.

It should be noted that two Ukrainian citizens suspected of blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines were detained in the EU – one in Poland and one in Italy. A Polish court ruled not to extradite the suspect to Germany and released him from custody.

Moreover, the court stated that even if the suspect were guilty, “actions against the critical infrastructure of an aggressor country are not considered sabotage, but rather military actions of a sabotage nature, which under no circumstances can be regarded as crimes.”

Meanwhile, an Italian court approved the extradition of the Ukrainian suspect to Germany. His lawyers attempted to file appeals twice, but were unsuccessful.

Russian Activity and Possible Motive

At the same time, according to former Danish intelligence chief analyst Jakob Kaarsbo, the Danish Armed Forces have 122 photos of six Russian ships in the area of the explosion taken four days before the blast. One of the vessels, the SS-750 of Project 141, was carrying a mini-submarine.

Project 141 ships are auxiliary vessels used for underwater operations. They typically handle tasks like laying anchors and buoys, clearing waterways, and raising sunken objects. They can also serve as submarine rescue ships and support underwater work. The SS-750 was converted into a rescue vessel in 1995.

A research team from the University of Pennsylvania confirms this. They have satellite images showing Russian ships, including the SS-750, near the explosion site.

The report notes that carrying out precise dives to 80 meters is an ‘extremely complex task’ that “cannot be done from a small yacht.” A vessel like the SS-750 would be much better suited for such operations.

RTL also highlights that Diana B., whose company allegedly rented the yacht Andromeda, held a Russian passport and lived in Russian-occupied Crimea rather than Ukrainian-controlled territory. She had participated in pro-Russian events and shared photos of trips around Russia on social media.

Kaarsbo leans toward the view that the voyage of the Andromeda may have been a well-planned ‘false flag’ operation. The yacht did set out on its trip, but the main work was carried out by a Russian flotilla that was present at the time of the explosion.

According to him, Russia had a strong motive — to avoid massive compensation payments. In the summer of 2022, Russia tried to pressure Germany into abandoning support for Ukraine by restricting gas supplies through Nord Stream, and by the end of August, it cut them off completely. Gazprom customers, such as Uniper, had the right to demand substantial compensation. Uniper confirmed that it won €13 billion in compensation through the Stockholm arbitration.