If it’s a Ukrainian organization, the Ukrainian government probably, at some level, knew about it.
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Ian Bremmer’s Quick Take:
Hi everyone. And have you seen the latest news on Nord Stream 1, 2? It has been months since that pipeline, those pipelines were destroyed, were sabotaged, and we haven’t had any information on who’s behind it. Been big questions. Why would the Russians blow up their own pipelines? I’ve been skeptical, and the investigations that the Europeans have been engaged in, no evidence whatsoever. There was this piece by Seymour Hersh that I looked into pretty closely, one anonymous source claiming the Americans and the Norwegians were behind it. That turned out to be not standing up on its facts on a whole bunch of pieces of ostensible evidence brought in the piece. But now we have a New York Times piece that’s come out with direct sourcing from US senior officials, including intelligence officials, claim that there is evidence that a Ukrainian organization was behind the explosion.
Now, I want to say, first of all, that was my view over the last few months, is if anyone was likely behind it would probably be Ukraine. And the question is, would they have the capacity? Because the interest was certainly highest. They are the ones that desperately want to ensure that the Russians don’t continue to have leverage to potentially drive a wedge around European support and get that gas flowing again from Russia into Germany and into Europe.
Now, they’re big questions given the level of sophistication that would be required in pulling off an attack like that, and also doing it without any fingerprints at all in terms of the investigations and the intelligence, would the Ukrainians be able to pull it off? So they’re very interested, but could they actually do it? And the view was, well, maybe not. And I would’ve said no, except for some of the other attacks that we’ve seen the Ukrainians pull off, like blowing up the Kerch Bridge from Russia to Crimea, which I was quite surprised to see them be able to do. As well as the assassination attempt that almost happened against Aleksandr Dugin, instead killing his daughter, and only because she decided at the last minute to take the car that he was meant to be in, and that was just outside Moscow.
So the Ukrainians have shown more capacity than a lot of people have believed, but still lots and lots of questions here that are going to need to be investigated. One is this Ukrainian organization, this outfit, an extremist group, do we believe that they were operating by themselves or did they have direct support/complicity of the Ukrainian government? It’s hard to imagine that such an attack would’ve happened and the Ukrainian government had no idea. And I say that in part because of funding and in part because of the impact that it would have, and so you’re potentially doing a lot of damage to Ukraine’s position vis-a-vis the Europeans, even the Americans, if you get away with it. Why would you take that kind of a risk as an organization ostensibly supporting Ukraine unless the government was behind it? Also, would you have that kind of capacity without direct governmental support?
So one would expect that if it’s a Ukrainian organization, the Ukrainian government probably at some level knows about it, probably at a high level knows about it. Let’s keep in mind that despite all of the support from the United States, and it’s been incredible, the military support, the economic support, Biden’s trip directly to Kyiv, that there’s not a lot of trust between the United States and Ukraine at the highest levels. There’s a lot of alignment. There’s a lot of belief that the Ukrainians need to be able to defend their territory and beat back the Russians. There’s a lot of respect with Zelensky’s courage and his ability to lead his people over the last year of war. I mean, really facing death himself on a daily basis on the ground in Kyiv. He’s enemy number one for Putin and the Kremlin. No one wants to be in that position, and yet Zelensky has been. But that’s not trust.
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#QuickTake #Ukraine #NordStream
43 Comments
Lol
Nobody buys this nonsense, a few divers in a hired yacht this was not, performing a mission of such scale in highly monitored seas without detection or submersibles is way beyond ukraine.
Both stories rely on unnamed sources, but Hersh has better connections and pedigree. Plus the Hersh story is more realistic.
20-year-old Gavrillo Principe shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife in June 1914. Serbia denied any involvement in the killings. Serbia lied. The man who became emperor in his stead, Charles, was canonized by Holy Pope John Paul. The world suffers to this day from the triumph of hypocrisy and stupidity that followed the crime. James Bond probably blew up, that's the "American" level today. 500 million Europeans let themselves be controlled by 350 million provincials, a disgrace.
Bed time stories sponsored by the Bank of America. Nobody believes this.
Like a murder mystery-one victim 6 or 7 suspects
I have been asking the same question since the Nordstream pipelines were destroyed. Where is the forensic information from the pipeline after the explosions? This information will determine if the source of the explosions came from inside the pipeline or from an external source. This requires a simple analysis of pipeline remnants. If the source was internal then the Russians did it. If it was from an external source then analysis of who had access, time to plant the explosives, and the type of explosives used will narrow the field of possible parties involved. However, to date I have not heard an answer relative to the source (internal of external) of the explosions.
Ridiculous, a truck bomb and assassinating single person takes no special skills, are you suggesting that the Palestinians would be able to blow up the nordstream pipelines?
As for your suggestion that Seymour Hersh's story didn't hold up the scrutiny, I'd have to ask which parts. If it's the part about the ship that was supposed to be used to plant the bombs not being where he said it was, that's just a simple matter of the ship turning off its transponder location device. Other than that this is exactly the same story only with the names changed to apparently protect the guilty.
There's also the issue of Sweden refusing to release the results of its investigation, claiming it was an extreme issue of national security and they would not be releasing any information, not to Germany not to Denmark not to the UN not to NATO. Does that sound like what they found was a couple of random Ukrainians in a yacht?
Come on man, think beyond the end of your nose. It's pretty obvious the Americans did it. Now they're just making up cover story, and not a very good cover story, like how did they get hold of the explosives needed; you don't pick this stuff up at your local Walmart.
imagine trying so hard to push the 'ukraine blew it up' story line and not getting some of that sweet sweet CIA money for your efforts.
Yes!…Very true, the Ukrainians blew up the pipelines!…That is why the Germans have rewarded them with 88 leopard tanks, and may give them more. The German people, must be feeling ecstatic, that all their future hope of getting cheap gas, has been blown away, by the country they have supported…not the country that they condemned!
-i don’t think the Ukrainians did it, but if they did, i think that’s absolutely amazing
-but (sadly) i just think it’s just a false flag operationby by the russians
Ian you are not as smart as you think you are.
You did not consider or give time to the likely scenario that the russians blew that pipeline
They are using it as both a distraction and an ego boost (they have specialised submarines for these tasks).
As everyone sees that Ukraine does have the capacity plus that the area were heavily under NATO surveillance! It is a huge joke to say Ukraine did it!
nope it was the USA and Norway . any other questions ?
Simply no logic, just speculation for hype. Gas was already not flowing and no chances of restart, why would Zelensky risk lossing all support from Europe by such attack? Terror attacks is not what Ukraine is doing
Pipeline attack was very likely done to scare Europe after supply cuts over 2022 summer months did not have much effect. That's what bullies do
Clearly the USA USA USA USA.
This is all nonsense. Shame on you for the obvious propaganda. No facts here.
Dear Ian Bremmer, you're acting like a Kremlin mouthpiece. I think it's more likely a 'false flag' operation by GRU, carried out by Spetznaz. Just consider the means, motives and the bread crumbs left behind. Who has the most to loose and who has the most to gain if Ukraine is implicated in this sabotage. Clearly, Russia benefits if Ukraine gets the blame and possibly losing already wobbly support from some of the EU partners, especially Germany and France. Nord Stream pipelines were already shut down and EU was on its way to wean itself from the dependence on the cheap Russian gas. I doubt that Ukraine can match Russian capability in deep sea demolitions.
CHYNAA DID IT😂😂😂
I'm an engineer but watch a lot of economics on YT because I want to know how to deal with them. People like Ian Bremmer are pretty good at explaining economics. WHAT THEY ARE HOPELESS AT IS EXPLAINING TECHNOLOGY.
At 1:51 he asks "would the Ukrainians be able to pull it off?"
From an engineering and logistics point, NO and that has been discussed by many including military people.
1) Ukraine has no direct access to the Baltic Sea.
2) Ukraine has no submarines of its own.
3) This is NOT a Bridge or a drone dropping an incendiary onto a tank. This is an undersea pipeline AND SO YOU ALL KNOW. These are not simply pipes to help them sink and stay in place at the bottom of the sea they are encased in concrete. So to blow up a section of these sorts of pipelines is several orders of magnitude above blowing up a bridge. This is at the pinnacle of underwater demolition. The number of nations and people capable of that skill set at those depths is very limited.
Is this some state department funded NGO pile of HUEY. There is not one mention of SEY-mour HIR-sch subs-stack that detailed the whole operation.
Also through others like the former prime minister of is-real stated that put-in does not want to harm zelensky.
Shame, you are a well renowned analyst.. for you to even entertain the fake story of Ukraine bombing Nord stream is embarrassing
Pathetic.
Listening to these NYT hacks, pretending to be "journalists", is like watching mental acrobats perform in a media-circus. . .
To satisfy the desire of their patrons from the neo-liberal- corporate-media- Central-intelligence-Network. . .
To absolve themselves of the Nordstream-sabotage.
The linguistic contortions in their verbal diarrhea reminds me of Bill Clinton's "what is the meaning of IS is" and " I did not have sex with THAT woman!" Defense.
If we dive deep inside the closet of the Norwegian investigators, I'm sure we will find Monica Lewinsky's stained dress as concrete evidence.
But if we are truly interested in "spreading democracy", or " truth, Justice, and the American-way". . .
We would investigate all the blood-stains that will be available as evidence of the millions of unnecessary and preventable casualties in Ukraine, due to a sinister Western-exchange- program of NATO-weapons-4- Ukraine-bodies-as- fodder, for a Proxy-war-of-choice. . .
which had its Origins since the fall of the Berlin-wall, or at the very least, began with a civil-War in the wake of the u.s.-sponsored-coup in 2014. . .
All designed to satisfy the Imperial-ambitions of NATO-expansion. An open-Secret which no one in the main- stream – media or establishment want to investigate.
Whoever did it…this Buds for you
That the Ukrainian nationalist are forcing its young to die,
for a Western audience to cheer at – in order to continue Western funding.
Is not worthy of the West's modern 'self-described' democracy.
However much the US wants regime change in Russia… this isn't the way.
Schulz: I was told by president Biden that it was some very talented Ukrainian divers who did it.
Nordsrteam 2 was certainly profitable for the USA?! A saying says the goal justifies the means. How come the US isn’t scrutinized which is to great gains to them. Could just as well have been them, certainly in their interest so why not dig into that side of things. That said, there could many culprits with different agendas but that the US isn’t even of consideration is naive. Look at US history I.r. to regime change, dodgy dealings like with the saudis. America isn’t the greatest country on earth, thatch’s only the US, China and Russia brainwashing their population to believe…. just look at how dysfunctional US internal politics are. Im afraid theres a perfect storm brewing… I support Ukraine and with no 100% proof it sets a dangerous precedent hinting at Ukraine having done it, and if it is so these could well be Ukrainians who support Russia as a red flag op. No hypothesis before it is strongly backed up factually. Things will only end up worse and even more chaotic. Enjoy listening to you Ian, but art times I feel you simplify things in a hurry. Keep up the work, I think you’re missing out on some important variables a times.
investigations
I can not believe you are continuing with this BS talk. There has to be a reason you are towing the line with this nonsense. Wink Wink it seems everybody knows america did it. You are really hurting your credibility continuing down this path, and I like your analysis in general
Thanks for sharing.
LOL.
It wsd tye US GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE CÍA its so STUPID AND RIDICULOUS THAT HOW THEY WANT STUPID PEOPLE TO BELIEVE IN OTHER STORY AND MORE STUPID THE PEOPLE WHO IS PROPAGANDA FOR THAT BULLSHIT
Ian Bremmer is at the end of the day a US nat'l security/elite apologist. There are many roles to fill in the Blob, and Bremmer is one of the primary go-to's when an intelligent "reasonable" voice is needed to rationalise pickles the Imperium perpetually embroils itself in by the very nature of its hegemonistic bullying.
Moreover,, Germany at the very least surely knew about and thereby consented to the destruction of NS1&2. What are the odds that the BND and other German intel agencies were not clued in on what was about to go down?
LOL. Imagine trusting this assclown over Seymour Hersh, who has won a Pulitzer and four Polk Awards and written some of the most monumental exposes in American history. That would take some serious brainwashing. What evidence did Hersh's piece not "stand up to." He doesn't say. Go figure.
Its more likely this dude blew up the pipeline
Talked a lot and said nothing.
Yeah it definitely was the US. Now they’re lying to cover it up
Did Bin Laden commit the September 11 terrorist attacks? Or will America change its mind? Suddenly it was Zelensky, or was it just a pretext for unleashing wars around the world, and America itself is to blame for the terrorist attacks? Can the USA be trusted? "The world has changed," they said, and set off to unleash wars all over the planet for personal enrichment.
This is absolutely clueless analysis. It’s so obvious the US government has it’s fingerprints all over this.
U.S. with Polish support. Why would Russia do it. They were getting $$ from the oil that pipeline delivered
Yeah, those U.S. intelligence officials are definitely credible. Nothing to see here…
Whatever you're full of it
My understanding is there is growing proof that the U.S A is responsible…