US is said to have blown up Nord Stream pipelines – but there are doubts

politics

World-renowned US journalist Seymour Hersh claims that the US blew up the Nord Stream pipelines with the help of Norway. The US government denies vehemently – the case at a glance.

Nico Conzett / watson.ch

It’s all about this

A total of four explosions occurred in September last year on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. By Sweden and Denmark were built to transport Russian gas, including to Germany. According to Swedish investigations, it is clear that it was a matter of sabotage – explosive residues were detected near the leaks.

It remains unclear who was responsible for the alleged attacks. A series of accusations ensued. On the one hand Russia was suspected, on the other hand there were also different voices, the possible motives on the part of the USA saw.

The background was statements by President Joe Biden before the war, according to which “there would be no more Nord Stream 2”. Russia in the Ukraine invade. He further said: “We will put an end to this.”

The United States spoke out against the Nord Stream project from the start because they feared Europe would become more dependent on Russia. In addition, Nord Stream would have restricted the Americans’ ability to sell their own liquefied gas to the Europeans.

The case at a glance:

This is what Seymour Hersh writes

Now the well-known US journalist Seymour Hersh is fueling speculation that the US was involved in the explosions – more than that: he is certain that the US is responsible for the leaks and thus buried Nord Stream. Hersh writes in one published on his own website Articlethat US Navy divers planted explosive devices on the pipelines last June under the guise of a NATO exercise called BALTOPS 22.

Did the Joe Biden government order the demolition? At least that’s what a US journalist claims.Image: AP POOL / Jacquelyn Martin

In September, these were then detonated by remote control. The operation was personally ordered by the White House and the United States received support from Norway. The US secret service CIA was responsible for the planning and implementation.

Hersh refers to a single source said to be within the close circle of the US leadership. In his text he reports in detail how the planning and the background of the action should have looked.

The US government’s response

Official reactions from the US state apparatus immediately followed Hersh’s release.

“This claim is completely false,” a CIA spokesman told AFP. The White House also responded, saying claims that the United States was behind the blasts were “absolutely false and complete fiction.”, said White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson. The U.S. State Department issued a similar statement.

Who is Seymour Hersh?

Seymour Hersh is one of America’s best-known investigative journalists. He became internationally known in 1969. At the time, he reported on the My Lai Massacre, a war crime committed by US soldiers in Vietnam that killed over 500 civilians and that the US Army first tried to cover up. Hersh was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this revelation.

In the decades that followed, Hersh continued to publish critical articles that often concerned US authorities. At the beginning of the current century, for example, he also published on the prison scandal surrounding the US institution Abu Ghraib in Iraq.

Seymour Hersh exposed a serious war crime in 1969.Image: www.imago-images.de / Everett Collection

How believable is Hersh’s portrayal?

Hersh’s reputation was great early in his career, especially after his publication on the My Lai massacre. His further revelations in the following decades were repeatedly honored with prizes.

In the recent past, however, there have been increasing doubts about the representations of the now 85-year-old. For example, a report on the assassination of Osama Bin Laden under the Obama administration was controversial. Hersh questioned the course of the US operation and presented an alternative version, citing anonymous sources, the news outlet said Reuters reported.

Adding to the controversy was a 2013 publication, when Hersh accused Syrian rebels of staging a sarin nerve agent attack on a Damascus suburb that killed hundreds of civilians. 2013 were in Syria documented multiple poison gas attacks on rebel-held areas.

It is not definitively clear who was ultimately responsible for the attacks. The US and several other Western countries take it for granted that Assad’s army used sarin. Russia and Iran and the Syrian regime put the blame on the rebels – Hersh supported this version at least in one specific case.

Syria’s ruler Bashar al-Assad in a meeting with Vladimir Putin in 2020. Image: imago images / Alexei Nikolsky

The main criticism of Hersh is that in most cases he refers to anonymous sources. This became his trademark throughout his career. More recently, Hersh has been accused of not being critical enough of his sources. Also, the fact that he sometimes only refers to one or a few sources damaged Hersh’s credibility. Among other things, this is reflected in the fact that well-known media outlets were offered Hersh’s stories, but repeatedly rejected them.