Was Poland responsible for facilitating the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines?
The attacks launched against the Nord Stream pipelines back in September 2022 were one of the most shocking geopolitical developments of the past decade, which has added another layer of tension to the already explosive Russo-Ukrainian War.
Once the smoke cleared from these attacks, geopolitical commentators worldwide speculated on who actually carried out the attack. Anti-Russia pundits instantly blamed Russia for launching a false flag attack against the pipelines, allegedly to deprive Europe, above all Germany, of a platform that could deliver affordable and reliable energy. On the other hand, contrarian geopolitical analysts argued that this sabotage attack was coordinated by the Collective West, namely a combination of the United States and the United Kingdom, to completely sever economic ties between Germany and Russia. The Anglo-American geopolitical establishment has long feared a full-blown rapprochement between Russia and Germany.
Other analysts believe Ukraine pulled off this sabotage, albeit with the aid of American or British intelligence. At first glance, Ukrainian involvement here makes sense due to how it is being directly attacked by Russia — a much stronger foe with a marked military advantage. In turn, logic would dictate that Ukraine pursue an asymmetric attack against Russia by striking at one of its most valuable resource assets.
However, another actor that cannot be discounted as a potential architect, or at least a major conspirator behind these attacks, is Poland. According to a Wall Street Journal report published on June 10, 2023, the saboteurs behind the Nord Stream attack likely used Poland as the forward base to launch this operation.
“The probe by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office is examining why the yacht they believe was used to carry out the operation journeyed into Polish waters,” the WSJ report highlighted.
The latest allegations are based on discoveries made in a German investigation, which has concerned Polish authorities. In fact, certain reports point to the Poles desperately looking for and striving to gain access to these findings. Should this speculation come true, tensions between Poland and Russia would accelerate to alarming levels. As a member of NATO, Poland could potentially find itself in a kinetic conflict with Russia thereby increasing the likelihood of a nuclear conflict between Russia and the US-led military alliance.
“German investigators have fully reconstructed the entire two-week long voyage of the Andromeda—the 50-foot white pleasure yacht suspected of being involved in one of the biggest acts of sabotage on the continent since World War II—and pinpointed that it deviated from its target to venture into Polish waters,” the WSJ report added.
According to the WSJ report, further evidence of alleged Polish involvement in these attacks was demonstrated by German investigators who were able to compile tracking information from the boat’s mobile and satellite phones, in addition to navigation equipment, radio devices, and Gmail accounts.
There are several reasons why Poland likely helped facilitate this attack. Humiliating partitions that took place in 1772, 1793, and 1795 at the hands of Russia, Prussia, and Austria, has made Poles cherish the concept of national sovereignty. As a country that was under the thumb of Imperial Russia and a satellite state of the Soviet Union, Poland’s antipathy towards a powerful Russian state was further reinforced.
That means Poland will not only be skeptical of a resurgent Russia, but it will likely pact with countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States to counter Russia’s influence in continental European politics. For the UK and the US, a Russia that is able to dominate European politics, especially through a security system where its fully integrated with other continental heavyweights such as France and Germany, is an unacceptable geopolitical scenario.
All things considered, it is not far-fetched to speculate about the prospect of Poland willingly participating in geopolitical machinations against Russia.
