JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Economist explains: Who blew up the Nord Stream pipelines? Lots of blame, no hard evidence” – The Economist
“Last September, when explosions damaged Nord Stream 1 and 2 … evidence of a culprit was scant. Some European governments suspected Russia. … Putin had been threatening to cut off energy supplies to Europe in retaliation for sanctions …. Russia … blamed America and Britain. Six months later American intelligence officials … [and] German and British news organisations[] have suggested the possible involvement of an unidentified pro-Ukrainian group unaffiliated to the government. … (The Americans have not accused … Zelensky’s government, or the Ukrainian military ….) … Whether the attacks could have taken place without state assistance is unclear. But Ukraine’s defence minister … has denied involvement. … [and] Germany’s defence minister … warned against hasty conclusions, noting the possibility of a false-flag operation to blame Ukrainian groups. Investigations by Danish, German and Swedish authorities are all under way. But for now, the view to the depths of the Baltic remains murky.”