It’s Not Just The Nord Stream Pipeline

Underground USA

As the mainstream media in the United States suffocates itself—superficially—on President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees, an important international story goes unreported. It has everything to do with geopolitics, and the perceived act of sabotage warrants concern.

The Swedish Prosecution Authority has launched an investigation into suspected sabotage related to disruptions of two crucial undersea fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea. One cable connects Lithuania to Sweden, while the other links Finland to Germany. This investigation comes on the heels of Finland's announcement of its own police inquiry into these incidents, indicating a broader concern about the integrity of critical infrastructure in the region.

On Monday at approximately 0200 GMT, the 745-mile cable connecting Helsinki, Finland, to Rostock, Germany, ceased functioning, as reported by Cinia, the Finnish state-controlled cybersecurity and telecom company responsible for the cable. Simultaneously, at around 0800 GMT on Sunday, Telia Lietuva, a subsidiary of Sweden's Telia Company, reported a severed 135-mile cable between Lithuania and Gotland Island in Sweden.

The Baltic Sea, bordered by nine countries, including Russia, is a vital commercial shipping route. As such, ensuring the integrity of its underwater infrastructure is of utmost importance.

In a joint statement, Finland and Germany expressed deep concern regarding the severed undersea cables, emphasizing its broader implications for European security. They stated, "We are deeply concerned about the severed undersea cable," underscoring that "Europe’s security is threatened by Russia’s war against Ukraine and hybrid warfare by malicious actors," though no specific actors were identified. The statement highlighted the critical need to protect shared infrastructure, essential for national security and societal resilience.

Henrik Soderman, a Swedish prosecutor engaged in the investigation, announced that the cutting of the fiber optic cables is currently being treated as an act of sabotage. At an EU defense ministers' meeting in Brussels, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius addressed the situation, noting, "No one believes that these cables were cut accidentally…[we] must assume, although we do not yet have confirmation, that this is indeed sabotage."

Recent damage to underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea has raised significant regional security concerns. One notable incident in 2023 involved a Chinese container ship that was implicated in dragging its anchor across telecommunications cables. The exact cause of this incident—accidental or deliberate—remains uncertain. However, the repeated occurrences of such events have sparked suspicions of potential hybrid sabotage. As a result, there are increasing calls for enhanced protective measures to safeguard Europe's underwater networks.

The ongoing incidents in the region highlight a significant concern. Recently, similar actions have been scrutinized for their potentially malicious intent. Last year, incidents involving a gas pipeline and other undersea cables raised suspicions of sabotage. This situation echoes the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, which are under investigation by German authorities.

One EU source with deep knowledge of the situation stated that other available information indicates that Russia has been behaving increasingly provocatively along its borders with Norway and Finland:

“Russia must be behind what looks like an attack, in which case it is a ‘casus belli’ (act of war, not simply sabotage).” Russia must be behind what looks like an attack, in which case it is a ‘casus belli’ (act of war, not simply sabotage). They should stop trying to reassure the public. [They] sound silly. This was to be expected in a sense. As regards the Baltic states, Putin must be trying to isolate some countries from the rest of the NATO and EU spheres. Normal tactics.”

What Should Americans Care About This

Vladimir Putin's aggressive maneuvers in the Baltic Sea, particularly in relation to NATO countries, are significant in light of his ongoing conflict with Ukraine. These actions carry important implications for the United States, especially for the incoming Trump administration.

The Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—are members of NATO, and as such, any attack on these countries could trigger Article 5 of the NATO treaty. This article stipulates that an attack against one member is considered an attack against all. Consequently, the United States, as a founding member of NATO, would be obligated to respond militarily. Such a scenario could potentially lead to direct conflict between the US and Russia, significantly escalating tensions in the region.

The potential for conflict is heightened by North Korea’s deployment of military assets in the region to support the Russian war effort. This situation is further complicated by President Biden’s dangerous decision to permit Ukraine’s military to utilize US-made long-range missiles, which President Putin interprets as a direct engagement of the United States in the conflict.

Putin's use of hybrid warfare tactics, such as cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns, affects not only the regional landscape but also NATO's broader security framework, with the United States playing a pivotal role. These tactics challenge NATO's resilience and heighten the likelihood that the US will need to provide technological and intelligence support to counter these threats.

As tensions escalate, the US could find itself entangled in Russian information operations designed to instigate discord among NATO members and within the United States. These activities could significantly impact public opinion, influence elections, and alter the political landscape to the detriment of the West.

Additionally, the United States has a vested interest in promoting European energy independence as it seeks to diminish Russian influence over European politics. The Baltic Sea plays a critical role in this context, serving as a key conduit for energy security through pipelines such as Nord Stream. Any disruptions in this region not only impact European allies but also have significant repercussions for US economic interests and the overall transatlantic economic relationship.

So, Russia's aggressive actions are coaxing the United States to become more deeply involved in European security decisions. While this engagement is essential to maintain, it aligns more with the interests of the global elite, the US military complex, and the opportunistic elements of the Deep State than it does with the needs of the American people.

The geopolitical challenges and the political landmines left by the Obama-Biden-Harris administrations and the Sorosian global elite present immediate hurdles for Donald Trump upon his rightful return to office. This is one reason the mainstream media’s—and the uniparty political establishment’s—obsession with Trump’s cabinet picks is inane and, in fact, vacuous.

While dealing with this dangerous and complex situation is undoubtedly challenging, there is a silver lining in knowing that the intellectual inability of the Obama 2.0 neo-Marxist Left—ideologues such as Susan Rice, Samantha Power, and Antony Blinken, along with other remnants of the Obama administration—to affect effective diplomatic and strategic solutions is soon becoming inconsequential for they are no longer steering the ship.

That said, the disruption of internet communications in Europe affects the United States a lot more than realized at face value. It’s a hell of a lot more serious than a buffering problem on Netflix.

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