In early February of this year, veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported that the U.S., with Norway's help, had sabotaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines that supplied Germany and other European states with natural gas from Russia. The pipelines (two of which were not yet in operation) were blown up last Sept. 26, but the question of who was responsible has remained a mystery.
The U.S. government, which has long been concerned about Europe's growing economic reliance on Russia — and on the Nord Stream pipelines in particular — vehemently denied the charge, with the White House describing Hersh's story as "false and complete fiction." Then, on March 8, the New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence sources suggested that a pro-Ukrainian group, independent of the Ukrainian government, had been responsible.
