Russia to stop gas supplies to Europe (1/4/22)

[yield]

Nord Stream insurers deny policies covered war risks in UK lawsuit

MOSCOW/LONDON, April 18 (Reuters) - Nord Stream's insurers have denied that their policies provide cover for gas pipelines damaged by blasts in 2022 because the damage was caused by war, in their written defence to a lawsuit filed at London's High Court.
Nord Stream is seeking more than 400 million euros ($427 million) from its insurers over the explosions which ruptured pipelines designed to transport Russian gas to Germany.

It named Lloyd's Insurance Company and Arch Insurance (EU) DAC (ACGL.O)
Sweden – which in February dropped its investigation – and Germany have both found traces of explosives relating to the incident that ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, suggesting it was a deliberate act.

In their written defence, dated April 8 and first reported by Kommersant daily on Thursday, the insurers said Nord Stream's policy did not cover damage "directly or indirectly" resulting from war, military actions or the detonation of explosives.
The insurers also stated that the policy does not cover any damage which happened "under the order of any government".
"The defendants will rely on ... the fact that the explosion damage could only have – or, at least, was more likely than not to have – been inflicted by or under the order of a government," the insurers' lawyer said.

 

[yield]

Polish leader urges Nord Stream patrons to 'keep quiet' as pipeline mystery returns to spotlight

Poland's prime minister has reacted to reports that revived speculation about who blew up the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022.

apnews.com

Polish leader urges Nord Stream patrons to ‘keep quiet’ as pipeline mystery returns to spotlight

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Saturday reacted to reports that revived questions about who blew up the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022, saying the initiators of the gas pipeline project should “apologize and keep quiet.” That comment came after one of his deputies denied a claim that Warsaw was partly responsible for its damage.

 

[MrCurry]

It sure seems like there’s a lot about nordstream which is not in the public sphere.

Perhaps Germany’s position as the biggest contributor to Ukrainian aid reflects them having been forced to accept their share of responsibility for causing the situation which led to the Russian invasion. Or is it heresy to say that?

 

[Pickman's model]

It sure seems like there’s a lot about nordstream which is not in the public sphere.

Perhaps Germany’s position as the biggest contributor to Ukrainian aid reflects them having been forced to accept their share of responsibility for causing the situation which led to the Russian invasion. Or is it heresy to say that?

It's not heresy but it requires rather more in the way of evidence not to be dismissed with scoffing and disparagement

 

[MrCurry]

It's not heresy but it requires rather more in the way of evidence not to be dismissed with scoffing and disparagement

If the hypothesis is that it was wrangling over Nordstream that’s behind the Ukraine invasion and that this has been kept out of public view by both sides, then by definition I’m going to have trouble proving it as the evidence will not be in the public domain. Perhaps you should ask Donald Tusk, as he seems to have things he wishes he could say about the role of Germany in the pipeline project and problems it may have caused.

The chronology might be the best way of looking for links, circumstantial though that might be in evidential terms. And bear in mind I’m not a Russia analyst, I’m just Joe Public noticing a remarkable correlation between events in the history of Nordstream 2 and the build up to the Ukraine invasion.


January 2021 US sanctions against NS2 construction vessel
March 21 Rus troop build up then in Apr 21 withdrawal
May 21 us waives sanctions
Sept 2021 NS2 complete
Nov 21 NS2 certification delayed
7/2/22 RU build up UKR border
23/2/22 Germany cancels NS2 certification
24/2/22 invasion of Ukraine

Every step of the way it seems that setbacks in the Nordstream 2 plan were followed by a ramping up of the Ukraine situation. Was the May 21 waiving of sanctions the price being paid for talking Putin into pulling his troops back in Apr? The ultimate invasion proceeded literally the day after Germany announced measures to make it all but impossible for pipeline certification to proceed for a very long time.

If one were to go further back one could speculate a link between Putin’s much publicised absence from public view the year after the annexation of Crimea and the subsequent reanimation of the NS2 project which had been on hold due to sanctions relating to crimea. Did Putin in March 2015 finalise and sign off the plans for completing project Ukraine and the first results of that were the military exercises which began directly after his first public appearance and the June announcement of NS2 recommending? Maybe the Ukraine plan was to forge ahead with isolating and weakening Ukraine by cutting it off from gas transit fees and if that failed then it would be “send in the troops”?

March 2015 Putin returns to view
June 2015 NS2 to go ahead

Nothing is smoking gun, but it is a lot more persuasive to me as a motivation than “NATO is threatening us”!