Russia damaged gas pipelines and is now considering demanding compensation

It has not yet been established who is responsible for the damage (sabotage) of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines (it was never cleared for operation and was awaiting certification). They were planted in September 2022 – and that’s the only thing we can be sure of.

Damage to Nord Stream gas pipelines. Four independent investigations

Although the case is being investigated by prosecutors in four countries, no charges have been brought against anyone. There are many signs that this could be the action of Russia itself, which, by destroying its own infrastructure, hoped to blackmail Western European countries into increasing gas purchases and speeding up the issuance of permits necessary for the launch of SP-2. The effect turned out to be completely different than expected: Western countries refused Russian gas anyway (or Russia forced them to refuse by changing the contract to a less profitable one), and repairing gas pipelines would entail such costs that it was pointless.

The operator, Gazprom-owned Nord Stream AG, has spent billions on something that will likely never be used by the Russian state again. The French company Engie, the Dutch-British Shell, the Austrian OMV and the German companies Uniper and Wintershall also participated in the construction of gas pipelines. Nord Stream AG shareholders also included Wintershall Dea and the Dutch frupa Gasunie, but in March 2023 these companies canceled their shares.

Although Russia is the main suspect in causing the damage, this does not prevent it from demanding compensation for the damage. “Moscow does not rule out the possibility of demanding compensation for the Nord Stream explosions immediately after the investigation is completed,” Dmitry Birichevsky, director of the economic cooperation department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told the RIA Novosti agency. from the “Rzeczpospolita”.