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Did Russia Just Bomb Its Own Nord Stream Natural Gas Pipelines to Europe? (VIDEO)

To Say That Russia’s Ongoing War With Ukraine is Not Going Well Would Be An Understatement

Over six months into the war, Russia has accomplished very little other than getting its own troops killed.

Russian President Vladamir Putin appears to have grossly underestimated the willingness of other countries to support Ukraine with weapons and other vital supplies, preventing the relatively unopposed takeover he had envisioned.

So poorly is the war going that Put is implementing a “partial mobilization,” which is basically a “stop loss.” A stop loss is where inactive reservists are called back to active duty, often unwillingly. Implementing a stop loss is a significant development for Russia’s military, as it is a sign that things are not going well and the number of active troops is inadequate. Many Russian citizens responded to the partial mobilization by fleeing the country.

So poorly is the war going for Russia that the country may have just bombed its own natural gas pipelines, Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, primary energy sources for western Europe. The suspected bombing came to light when local seismographs registered a 2.3 on the Richter scale.

Local observers from Sweden and Denmark, the countries nearest the bombings, also reported rolling waves and bubbles at the surface, furthering beliefs that an underwater explosion took place and that the pipelines were actively leaking. The initial belief among investigators appears to be that Russia is responsible for the bombings, with the goal of cutting off a vital source of energy for the upcoming winter.

Source: Global News YouTube

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In a statement released shortly after the leaks were detected, political consultants Eurasia Group noted:

“Unplanned leaks to undersea pipelines are rare as they are designed to avert accidental damage. Several EU sources said sabotage seemed likely. Neither pipeline was delivering commercial gas at the time of the leaks, yet given both lines were still pressured, and each has the capacity to pipe around 165 million cubic metres of methane-heavy gas per day. Leaks of this size are a severe safety and environmental hazard, especially should Russia not stop pumping gas into the system. Depending on the scale of the damage, the leaks could even mean a permanent closure of both lines.”

A representative for Nord Stream AG, which operates the pipelines, released the following statement:

“The destruction that occurred on the same day simultaneously on three strings of the offshore gas pipelines of the Nord Stream system is unprecedented. It is not yet possible to estimate the timing of the restoration of the gas transport infrastructure.”

For its part, Russia also pointed to sabotage as one possible reason behind the leaks. A Kremlin spokesman stated the leaks were concerning, but it was “premature” to lay blame until a full investigation is completed.

Regardless of the results of the investigation, it seems likely that both pipelines will remain offline through the end of winter, which will likely drive up energy prices across western Europe. Whether this will help with Russia’s war in Ukraine is unknown, but it will undoubtedly make for a bitter winter for many Europeans.

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Shawn V.

Shawn is Marine veteran, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. Shawn has a BS in Hospitality Management and an MBA, from the University of Nevada. In addition to writing for Wealthy VC, Shawn is also a writer for the financial website Seeking Alpha. Seeking Alpha | Email

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