What Happened to Nord Stream Pipelines? — Sputnik Explains

Nord Stream (1224 km) and Nord Stream 2 (1200 km) are gas pipelines from Russia to Europe, running under the Baltic Sea, allowing gas supplies to bypass transit countries.

Each pipeline consists of two strings with a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The total design capacity of both pipelines is 110 billion cubic meters.
Total project investment: €7.4 billion.

The Nord Stream pipelines infographic

History of Pipeline Construction

Nord Stream: Construction began in 2010, with commercial deliveries starting in 2012. It provided reliable gas supplies to Europe for over 10 years. Deliveries were halted in late August 2022 when Gazprom identified malfunctions. German company Siemens was ready to repair the issues, but it was impossible due to Western sanctions.
Nord Stream 2: Completed by September 2021, filled with gas, but not launched due to Germany suspending certification.

Nord Stream 2

Pipe-laying vessel Fortuna leaves the port of Wismar

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Employees work at the construction site of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline outside the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad region, Russia. - Sputnik Africa

Employees work at the construction site of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline outside the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad region, Russia. The Nord Stream 2 project includes the building of a twin pipeline, which will deliver around 55 billion cubic meters (almost 2 trillion cubic feet) of gas directly to Germany and other European countries.

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Nord Stream 2

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Pipe-laying vessel Fortuna leaves the port of Wismar

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Employees work at the construction site of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline outside the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad region, Russia. The Nord Stream 2 project includes the building of a twin pipeline, which will deliver around 55 billion cubic meters (almost 2 trillion cubic feet) of gas directly to Germany and other European countries.

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West’s Opposition to Nord Stream

In 2018, former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson opposed the Nord Stream 2 project, arguing that the pipeline would undermine Europe’s energy security. He believed that Moscow might use energy as a political tool. The US, according to Tillerson, would help Europe (particularly Poland) diversify energy sources by providing American liquefied gas.
Before the explosions in 2022, Joe Biden threatened to block its operations in case of Russian “tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine.” American journalist Seymour Hersh reported that Biden viewed the pipelines as a tool Putin could use to weaponize natural gas.
Donald Trump not only imposed sanctions on Nord Stream in 2019, but also accused Biden of approving the Russian pipeline to Europe. In an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson in 2024, Trump reminded that it was he who essentially destroyed the pipeline.
Unlike the US, the German government under Angela Merkel supported the project.

Helmet of a worker on the construction site of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline

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Diversions: What Happened in 2022

On September 26, 2022, three of the four strings of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were blown up at a depth of 80 meters in the Baltic Sea, with four gas leaks discovered.
The incident occurred in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone. Swedish seismologists recorded two explosions along the pipeline routes.
Authorities in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany did not rule out a diversion. The blasts caused unprecedented damage to infrastructure that had been delivering affordable Russian gas to Germany and other Western European countries for decades.
On September 28, Russia’s Prosecutor General initiated a case on the act of international terrorism.
On September 30, Vladimir Putin stated that the explosion was aimed at "destroying the European energy infrastructure."
The perpetrators of the terror attack have not been identified.

Nord Stream sabotage infographic

Investigation of the Terror Attack – Official Statements and Versions from Western Media

Germany, Denmark, and Sweden began national investigations in October 2022, excluding Russia’s participation. Sweden's security service confirmed a diversion, finding traces of explosives at the site.
Moscow repeatedly called for an international investigation involving Russia and requested access to the materials. The Russian Foreign Ministry labeled the situation as a scam and fraud.

In October 2022, Swedish newspaper Expressen published the first footage of damage to the Nord Stream pipelines. An underwater drone recorded significant damage to the pipeline.

The first footage of the damage to the "Nord Stream" pipelines.

On October 31, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Gazprom was allowed to inspect the explosion site of the Nord Streams. According to him, two craters formed at the site of the explosion. A 40-meter section of the pipe was torn and bent by 90 degrees. Its fragments, he suggested, damaged a nearby string of Nord Stream 2.
In October 2022, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that British Navy representatives in Ochakov, Nikolayev region, Ukraine, participated in preparing and executing the pipeline blasts. Renowned German-Finnish entrepreneur, Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, said that former British Prime Minister Liz Truss sent a text message to former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying "All done" right after the explosion. Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev stated that this text "confirms the involvement of the British Navy in the explosion." Sergey Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, also mentioned that Russia had indirect reasons to believe that this message referred to the explosion on the Nord Streams.

The gas leak location on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. On September 26, Nord Stream 2 AG reported an emergency on one of the strands of Nord Stream 2 in Danish waters near the island of Bornholm, accompanied by a sharp drop in pressure. For editorial use only. No archiving, commercial use, or advertising campaigns allowed.

In this picture provided by Swedish Coast Guard, the gas leak in the Baltic Sea from Nord Stream photographed from the Coast Guard's aircraft on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2022

In this picture provided by Swedish Coast Guard, a small release from Nord Stream 2 is seen, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022

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The gas leak location on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. On September 26, Nord Stream 2 AG reported an emergency on one of the strands of Nord Stream 2 in Danish waters near the island of Bornholm, accompanied by a sharp drop in pressure. For editorial use only. No archiving, commercial use, or advertising campaigns allowed.

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In this picture provided by Swedish Coast Guard, the gas leak in the Baltic Sea from Nord Stream photographed from the Coast Guard's aircraft on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2022

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In this picture provided by Swedish Coast Guard, a small release from Nord Stream 2 is seen, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022

In his 2023 investigation, American journalist Seymour Hersh said the explosion was a US Navy operation, supported by Norway, personally authorized by Joe Biden, with the CIA under William Burns designing the diversion plan. According to Hersh, the sabotage was carried out by divers under the cover of the Baltops exercises. Official US and Norwegian authorities dismissed these claims as nonsense.
Starting in March 2023, Western media began actively promoting the theory of the Ukrainian connection in the diversions. According to investigations (The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Spiegel, ARD, Die Zeit), the operation was prepared by a group of Ukrainian officers. It was suggested that the Andromeda yacht was used for the operation. Reports stated that the commander of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, allegedly gave the go-ahead for the diversion, and President Zelensky was reportedly not informed.
In February 2024, Sweden and Denmark closed their investigations without presenting public results.
In August 2025, a Ukrainian national, Sergey Kuznetsov, was arrested in Italy. The German prosecutor's office considers him the coordinator of the group that placed the explosive devices.
On September 16, 2025, the Bologna court (Italy) ruled to extradite Kuznetsov to German authorities. On September 25, his lawyer appealed the extradition decision to the Italian Supreme Court.
Russia considers the version with only a Ukrainian connection to the explosions on the Nord Streams untenable and directly blames the US and its allies, including the United Kingdom, for the explosions.
Germany is still continuing its investigation.

Putin on Who Was Behind the Attacks

Vladimir Putin, in an interview with Tucker Carlson in February 2024 explained who blew up the Nord Stream pipeline

Tucker Carlson: "Who blew up Nord Stream?"

Vladimir Putin: "You, for sure" (laughs).

Tucker Carlson:"I was busy that day. I did not blow up Nord Stream. Thank you, though."

Vladimir Putin:"You personally may have an alibi, but the CIA has no such alibi."

Vladimir Putin, in an interview with Tucker Carlson, explained who blew up the Nord Stream pipeline