Technically, a new attack on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline similar to the 2022 explosion could happen at any time if there were forces to prevent the restoration of the pipeline, Ralf Niemeyer, head of the German Constitutional Council and Governance Council, told Sputnik.
"Technically, this can be done at any time. Last time, it was a military campaign, not simply an attack by a few divers going there by boat. A similar military operation is always possible," Ralf Niemeyer said on the question of whether those who opposed the start of the pipeline could attack again.
The head of the German Constitutional and souvenir Council also said that the naturalization of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline located in German territory would protect the pipeline from attacks, as new sabotage in such cases would be an act of aggression against Germany.
On September 27, 2022, a series of explosions caused severe damage to three of the four branches of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
Germany, Denmark and Sweden have not ruled out the possibility of this being an act of deliberate sabotage. Nord Stream AG, the company that operates the Nord Stream pipeline, said that the damage to the gas pipeline was unprecedented and the repair time could not be estimated.
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office has initiated a case related to international terrorism. Russia has repeatedly requested data on the Nord Stream explosion but has never been responded to.
On May 5, US President Donald Trump said he knew the perpetrator of the Nord Stream sabotage, and affirmed that there was no need for any more expensive investigations.
Responding to a reporter's question at the White House about the possibility of an official investigation, Mr. Trump replied: "If I asked a few specific people, I could know immediately who was doing it, without wasting money on the investigation. I think many people know the culprit.
Nord Stream 1 ( put into operation since 2011) and Nord Stream 2 (completed in 2021 but not yet licensed for operation) are key pipelines carrying Russian gas to Germany and Europe. Before the conflict in Ukraine, about 40% of Europe's gas consumption came from Russia, most of which went through Nord Stream.
However, after Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine, Russia-EU relations have seriously deteriorated. Germany stopped licensing Nord Stream 2, while Nord Stream was cut off in traffic by Russia and completely closed in September 2022, just weeks before the explosion.
