German press: Why Russia is ‘the number 1 suspect’ in the Nord Stream disaster

“Who sabotaged the pipelines Nord Stream?”, asks the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on its front page today. “That the leaks in the two pipelines are due to sabotage, and that only one state actor can actually be responsible for it, is pretty much what initially seems clear in this serious incident.” But who could do such a thing – and what does this mean for the safety of the rest of the energy infrastructure in the Baltic Sea? The risk, according to FAZ, has been known for some time. “On the bottom of the Baltic and also in the Atlantic, there are some critical infrastructures, such as pipelines or submarine cables. Destroying them quickly can cut off power in countries such as Estonia. In Poland and other countries, however, Russia is already named as the perpetrator,” the newspaper continues. “It is not unusual for a country to destroy its own infrastructure during a war.”

According to FAZ n Russia would have a tactical interest to discontinue the use of pipelines. “It would be a way for Moscow to exacerbate the energy crisis again – psychologically – now that the gas tap is largely turned off. It would also be a warning shot that Putin could use to show the West his will and capacity for further escalation.” While, as the newspaper notes, Ukraine could also have an interest in closing the two pipelines, since it has always considered them a threat to its national security. “But it seems unlikely that Kyiv will do anything at this stage of the war that should be seen by European allies as an attack on their energy reserves.”

The federal states are asking for a ceiling on energy prices

The massive energy crisis was one of the main topics at the meeting of the federal state premiers, who met late last night to coordinate their positions on the burning issue of the gas emergency levy. The matter is urgent, because normally it comes into effect from December 1st. According to the magazine Der Spiegel the states immediately demand a ceiling on energy prices for electricity, natural gas and heat. “The federal government must quickly agree to this,” said North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wiest after the meeting, which was aimed more broadly at sharing financial burdens between the central government and the states to deal with the energy crisis. .

In the text of the states’ decision, available to Spiegel, the states request, among other things, that the relief be focused “as far as possible on lower and middle incomes”, but also on strengthening the competitiveness of German businesses and industry for securing jobs.

The US is fully on the side of Greece

In Greek-Turkish and the presence of the Greek army in Lesvos, Samos and the Dodecanese reports today’s edition of Berlin’s Tageszeitung. This presence is, according to the newspaper, the latest reason for the ongoing tension between the two countries. “The controversy over the demilitarization of the islands is not new, but it has intensified in recent months. On the one hand, because the conservative government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis is placing more and more military personnel and weapons on the islands, on the other hand, because Erdogan believes that in the dispute over sovereignty and mining rights in the Aegean, the Greek government is violating the conditions on the islands.”

“But while Erdoğan makes loud threats and sometimes announces that an attack on the islands can be done ‘overnight’, Mitsotakis has so far remained very cool,” taz notes. “The reason for Mitsotakis’ demonstrative composure is the clear support of the USA in Greece. While NATO used to be careful not to escalate conflicts between the two countries, the Trump administration and now US President Joe Biden have fully sided with Greece.”

DW – Efthymis Angeloudis

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