The arrest of a Ukrainian suspect in Rome has revived debate over the 2022 Nord Stream sabotage, long viewed as a US-led operation. Spiegel's "Ukrainian diver" narrative complicates Seymour Hersh's reporting, which pointed directly to Washington. With Trump now meeting Putin and Zelensky, the Nord Stream affair could redefine Europe's energy map and strain NATO unity in a post-war world.
Friday, August 22, 2025
Uriel Araujo, Anthropology PhD, is a social scientist specializing in ethnic and religious conflicts, with extensive research on geopolitical dynamics and cultural interactions.
The recent arrest of a Ukrainian man by Italian authorities, suspected of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, has reignited debate over one of the most audacious acts of sabotage or terrorism in modern European history. According to Spiegel, the suspect, identified as a diver, was apprehended in Rome following a German arrest warrant. The report alleges he was part of a small team that planted explosives on the pipelines, operating from a yacht named Andromeda - a covert Ukrainian mission supposedly designed to disrupt Russian gas supplies to Europe.
This revelation, if accurate, complicates the narrative surrounding the Nord Stream attack, which has long been attributed to the United States, including by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. But does Spiegel's report hold water? And what could be the consequences in a post-war world - particularly if the Russia-Ukraine conflict winds down after the recent meetings between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and (on a different occasion) European leaders, and Volodymyr Zelensky?
Seymour Hersh's explosive February 2023 report alleged that the US orchestrated the sabotage. According to Hersh's intelligence sources, US Navy divers planted C4 explosives during the NATO BALTOPS 22 exercise in June 2022, which were later triggered remotely by a Norwegian surveillance plane. The motive, Hersh argued, was to sever Europe's reliance on Russian gas and thereby lock NATO allies into unwavering support for Ukraine.
The White House dismissed the piece as "complete fiction." Still, as a matter of fact, Hersh's decades-long record - including breaking the My Lai massacre and Abu Ghraib scandals - makes him difficult to dismiss outright. His account remains one of the most detailed reconstructions thus far.
Spiegel's report in fact does not directly contradict Hersh's scenario but rather adds another layer: Ukrainian involvement. One may recall that in early 2023, German lawmakers were demanding a transparent investigation into the explosions, frustrated by the opacity of Western authorities. Their demands have largely been brushed aside.
Spiegel's "Ukrainian diver" narrative could in fact serve as a convenient deflection, shifting blame to a minor player while protecting Washington and its allies from scrutiny.
Realistically speaking, the idea that a handful of operatives on a rented yacht carried out one of the most technically complex underwater demolitions in history, to put it mildly. Planting explosives lying some 80-110 meters beneath the Baltic Sea surface requires specialized military equipment and logistical support. No wonder many view Spiegel's account as a convenient enough cover story - or perhaps just one piece of a larger puzzle. The timing of this development is somewhat interesting as well.
In any case, a scenario where Ukrainian nationals may have participated, but as proxies within a larger US-led operation is way more logical. This would align neatly with Hersh's account: in this scenario, the US provided the resources, NATO drills offered cover, and Ukrainian operatives supplied deniability. As President Biden bluntly stated in February 2022 - before the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict even began - "if Russia invades, then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2." That remark alone suggests foreknowledge, if not intent.
One may recall the special counsel investigation led by Robert Hur into President Biden's handling of classified documents. In the 388-page report, Hur noted that Biden appeared confused during interviews. As the special counsel's report suggests, Biden's memory-blurred and at times hazy - occasionally led him to divulge details that would have been better left unspoken. The point here is that it is not too far-fetched to imagine this might have been the case in February 2022.
Be as it may, the consequences of the Nord Stream sabotage extend far beyond the pipelines themselves. Germany, deprived of cheaper Russian gas, has faced an economic downturn, with energy prices soaring and industrial competitiveness eroding. Some commentators (including Hersh himself) link this crisis to the rise of so-called "far-right parties" in Germany and across Europe.
The European establishment has been working hard to "tame" such radicals and to make them " mainstream" (in a pro-NATO direction) and the result is a " maidanization of the continent, amidst a wave of anti-Russian neo-Nazism, as I've written. Thus, the attack has not only reconfigured energy flows but also political dynamics within the European Union itself.
Should the war end soon - an outcome hinted at in Trump's high-profile talks with Putin and Zelensky plus European leaders - the Nord Stream question may then resurface with new urgency. A post-war settlement could involve renegotiating energy ties with Russia (something Europe badly needs).
Interestingly, back in November 2024, a pro-Trump businessman was trying to purchase the pipelines during Putin and Scholz talks, as I noted back then. In such a post-war scenario, the fate of the pipelines might become a bargaining chip. If proof emerges of US involvement, the blatant disregard for European sovereignty could thus trigger a crisis within NATO, weakening trust in Washington's leadership. So much for "unity" within the alliance.
Alternatively, if Ukraine is seen as having acted independently, Kyiv risks alienating its backers at precisely the moment when it would most need reconstruction aid. Thus far, Western capitals have avoided pressing too hard, preferring ambiguity to accountability. But the Italian arrest could rekindle demands - especially in Germany - for a serious inquiry into who was ultimately responsible.
So far, the Nord Stream saga has been a study in obfuscation. Spiegel's Ukrainian diver is either a lone scapegoat, a proxy, or a small cog in a much larger machine. All evidence points toward the US as the orchestrator, with Ukraine possibly providing operational cover.