In the last Nord Stream instalment, we saw that Danish authorities had invited the pipeline’s Russian operators to witness the recovery of an unidentified object near a seam in the intact Nord Stream 2 pipe. This item has now been removed from the seabed and cleaned; the Danes claim that it is “an empty maritime smoke buoy,” while the Russians believe it is “part of an explosive device”.
A remarkable piece published by the New York Times last week, in which the American paper of record admits that “it may be in no one’s interest to reveal more” about the bombings, fills in the backstory of this little episode. The object was found by pipeline inspectors working for Nord Stream 2, nineteen miles from the site of the explosions. Only in response to Russian diplomatic pressure did Denmark release images and invite Nord Stream 2 representatives to observe the recovery operation. Russia, in other words, appears to be among the only parties pushing for open investigation and public disclosure of findings related to the attack.