Poland has resisted efforts to investigate the 2022 bombings of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines that connect Russia and Germany, raising suspicion that the Polish government could have had knowledge of the attack, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The leading theory among Western officials is that Ukraine was behind the blast and that it was carried out by a small group of Ukrainians who rented a yacht, the Andromeda. Most ignore the theory that the US was behind the blast, an allegation that was made in a report by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh.
The Andromeda made several stops in the Baltic Sea around the time of the explosions, including in Poland. European investigators told the Journal that Polish officials had been slow to provide information and withheld key evidence about the alleged saboteurs’ movements in Poland.
Investigators are hoping the new pro-EU Polish government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk will be more cooperative. Poland’s new foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, previously suggested the US was responsible for the Nord Stream bombings.
After the news of the pipeline bombings broke in September 2022, Sikorski, who was a member of the European Parliament at the time, tweeted a picture of the disturbance in the water caused by the gas leak and wrote, “Thank You, USA.” He later deleted the tweet.
Screenshot of Sikorski’s deleted tweet.
While Hersh’s report that said President Biden ordered the sabotage hasn’t been confirmed, the US had a clear motive to bomb the pipelines. For years, the US worked against Nord Stream 2 using sanctions, and Biden vowed to “bring an end” to the pipeline if Russia invaded Ukraine. Victoria Nuland, the current acting deputy secretary of state, made similar threatening comments.
After the pipeline bombings, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the incident was a “tremendous opportunity” to reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian gas.
Photo: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk fired the heads of all the intelligence services, including those involved in the Nord Stream probe, days after he took office late last year © Pawel Supernak / Shutterstock.
Source: AntiWar.
