New underwater drone footage has been released showing the aftermath of the explosion that rocked the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
The pipeline, which runs from Russia to Germany, was heavily damaged last month in an act of apparent sabotage.
These pipelines are crucial to both Germany’s and Europe’s fuel supply, a supply that Russia has effectively squelched in response to Western backlash against the invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Telegraph, the explosion destroyed 50 meters of Nord Stream 1. The underwater footage revealed a massive tear, with much of the pipe reduced to nothing but twisted metal.
?The video of the destroyed section of the Nord Stream gas pipeline is published pic.twitter.com/zTFJa07zyO
— AZ ???? (@AZgeopolitics) October 18, 2022
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Experts claim that such damage has no natural explanation.
Drone operator Trond Larsen, who works for the Norwegian company Blueye Robotics, helped to explain the damage.
“It is only an extreme force that can bend metal that thick in the way we are seeing,” Larsen said, adding that they also noticed “a very large impact on the seabed around the pipe.”
The pipelines are situated in the Baltic Sea, and the explosions occurred in international waters causing four separate leaks.
Two of the leaks were located in the Danish exclusive economic zone, while the other pair were situated in the Swedish zone.
Both nations have been investigating the probable sabotage since it occurred in late September.
No government or organizations have claimed any responsibility for the attack, but that doesn’t mean there are no suspects.
Some Western leaders have been quick to point the finger at Russia, a charge Moscow finds completely preposterous.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov scoffed at the allegations of Russian involvement, stating that “elementary logic” dictates that such an attack would be a blow to Russia’s interests; why would Russia bomb a main source of it’s economic strength and leverage?
The Kremlin has since accused the United States of the crime, a charge Washington has vehemently denied.
Suspicions of American involvement were enflamed further when past statements by President Joe Biden regarding Nord Stream 2 suggested that the U.S would ensure that the pipeline would never be operational.
In any case, the explosion of the active Nord Stream 1 line has already exacerbated a dire fuel situation on the European continent.
Rising energy costs are already affecting food production as Europe faces the prospect of economic calamity.
