The Nord Stream 2 Sabotage: A Critical Attack on Russian Infrastructure

In September 2022, a major explosion severed three of the four pipelines in the Nord Stream 2 natural gas network, which runs from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Initially, there was speculation that the Russians were behind the sabotage as a form of blackmail or state terrorism against the West. However, recent reporting indicates that a team of Ukrainian commandos rented a sailboat, sailed to the pipelines, and planted explosive charges on them. These Ukrainian saboteurs, believed to be part of the Special Operations Forces, executed a sophisticated operation that lasted several months, ultimately severing the pipelines. While President Zelensky did not directly authorize the operation, it aligns with Ukraine's history of covert operations against Russia since the invasion in 2022. The incident has generated controversy, with defenders of Colonel Roman Chervinsky, the alleged coordinator of the attack, claiming that he was acting in Ukraine's best interests and following orders from General Valerie Ziluzhny, the chief of staff of Ukraine's armed forces.