Damaged Nord Stream Pipelines to Be 'Forgotten,' No Repair Plans Exist: Reuters

There are currently no plans to repair and restore the Nord Stream pipelines, which were damaged in the autumn of 2022, according to Reuters, citing sources including those from Russia.

“Moscow does not expect its relations with the West to improve sufficiently for the pipelines to become necessary in the foreseeable future,” said two sources to the agency.

One Russian source told Reuters that Moscow considers the project to be “buried.” The other two noted that the pipelines will be kept for potential future reopening.

“This could happen if the U.S. liquefied natural gas, which EU countries are currently using to replace some Russian supplies, becomes prohibitively expensive,” added one of the Reuters sources.

In September 2022, the Nord Stream operator announced the destruction of two lines of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and one line of Nord Stream 2. Both pipelines run from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. At that time, they were not operational due to the shutdown of gas flows through Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 never being put into operation.

Authorities in Sweden, Denmark, and Germany have initiated an investigation into the incidents involving the pipelines. Swedish law enforcement, investigating the leak sites of Nord Stream, confirmed the hypothesis of explosions at the pipelines and announced traces of explosives.

Holes have been discovered in the pipes, with one measuring eight meters in diameter. Gazprom has stated that it has begun seeking solutions for the repair of the pipelines.

In the West, there has been suspicion that Russia was involved in the sabotage of Nord Stream. In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed the Anglo-Saxons for the explosions. In February, prominent American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published an article accusing U.S. authorities and intelligence services of being behind the sabotage of Nord Stream. The Kremlin has referred to it as