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Originally Posted by afc wimbledon
The point of blowing up Nordstream is simple, it was paid for more by Germany than Russia, Nordstream is not a Russian pipe really, it's a German pipe, it was a message to Germany and Germany alone.
Russia has plenty of ways of getting gas to Europe if sanctions are lifted but in Putins mind the only way to do that is to scare Germany into submission and blowing up the only gas lines that were paid for by Germany to get gas solely to Germany are a great way to do that, Putin knows full well if things go back to 'normal' Germany will rebuild the pipeline, not Russia, Germany.
Where Putin is wrong obviously is the idea that things can and will return to normal ever, but he's desperate and losing
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Quote:
Originally Posted by opendoor
Gazprom also has a potential significant liability for not meeting their contracts. They tried to declare force majeure to release themselves from their commitments to supply gas, citing sanctions. That's also why they've made a big fuss about the turbine being repaired in Canada and various small leaks. Essentially they've been trying to make it look like anything other than the Russian government's whims are what's stopping gas flows in order to avoid having to pay penalties. Now with the pipelines being damaged, they're probably on stronger legal footing to not be liable for the lack of deliveries.
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The thing with these theories is why go all the way to the border of Danish territorial waters to do it? They could have had the same effect by destroying the pipe further upstream and not take the big risk of being caught red handed. The risks just don't seem proportionate to the rewards.
The location of the blasts was extremely inconvenient for the Russians. If they chose that location, there would have to be a bigger payoff for them IMO.