Nord Stream Pipeline Blows Up, Russo-American Information War Rages On Twitter As Conspiracy Theories Flood The Web

By Aidan Walker
1497 views
• Published 2 years ago

Published 2 years ago

After reportedly losing pressure on Monday, three underwater explosions in the Baltic Sea just outside Denmark’s Bornholm Island destroyed sections of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines and caused massive amounts of gas to spill into the water yesterday. Now, much of social media is ablaze with conspiracy theories and viral discussions on the matter.


The Nord Stream pipelines carry natural gas sold by Russia to Europe. Prior to the explosions, neither pipeline was in operation — Nord Stream 2 was just built and had not yet entered service, and Russia cut off delivery of gas through Nord Stream 1 earlier in September citing "maintenance issues."

Authorities in Denmark and Sweden believe the pipeline explosions are intentional sabotage, although the culprit is unknown so far. Many suspect Russia and view the sabotage of the pipelines as another escalation of the war in Ukraine.


As many have noted online lately, the war seems to be getting more serious. Following significant territorial losses around Kharkiv, the Russian government ordered a massive draft within the country, leading to long lines at the borders of young men fleeing conscription and thousands of arrests. Russia also appears to be more isolated internationally.


Russia’s war largely has two dimensions: The first is the fight with Ukrainians on the ground, and the second is the economic fight against Europe. The Ukrainians are supported and supplied by the Europeans and Americans. Europe depends on Russian natural gas, and Vladimir Putin's gamble is that if the gas gets turned off this winter, popular opinion will turn against European leaders who support the war and support democracy.

Unhappiness with rising gas prices was a major part of the electoral campaign of the hard-right coalition in Italy that just gained power through PM Giorgia Meloni, and rising prices are also wreaking havoc on the economies of European countries, especially the United Kingdom.


But many right-wing commentators, including America’s Tucker Carlson, are furthering a narrative that proposes the United States is responsible for the Nord Stream sabotage. The reasoning goes like this: Why would Russia destroy its main leverage against Europe? The alternative reading is that Russia is desperate, and so has decided to use its leverage.

With full mobilization, the stakes of the war are now existential in the eyes of many, perhaps finishing with either the end of Russia as we know it or the end of Europe as we know it. Destroying Nord Stream 1 deals a crippling blow to the European economy and may accelerate a worsening global economic situation. It is very possible that the majority of people in Europe will not be able to afford to heat their homes this winter.


On social media scrolls, the number of posts pushing the theory that the U.S. caused the explosions are easily observed and prevalent. The ambiguity of the news – nobody knows for sure who did it, after all – is a ripe environment for misinformation to spread.

The accounts quoted below offer a representative sample of the "United States blew up the pipeline" crowd. The first is from the Chinese government, the third from an account with a long record of trolling and pushing tweets defending the Assad regime in Syria and the Putin regime in Russia. The second, @mattchristman, however, is just one of the hosts of the Chapo Trap House podcast.


In addition to Russian and NATO propaganda, there were many memes about the situation, including more about NAFO.


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