Journalist Dugan presented data on US involvement in undermining Nord Stream

The NATO summer exercise Baltops-2022, which took place near the Danish island of Bornholm, was attended by American divers with deep-sea equipment. About it reported RIA Novosti with reference to an anonymous letter received by US journalist John Dugan.

According to the author of the letter, who allegedly took part in the exercises, on June 15, 2022, a group of Americans in regular clothes was taken to the area where the exercises were being held. He noticed they had MK-29 rebreathers (isolated breathing apparatus) with an oxygen-helium mixture for deep-sea diving. They also had small boxes and professional equipment with them.

The divers were supposed to clear mines in a certain area, although they did not have the necessary equipment with them. According to the author of the letter, in fact, they went in a completely different direction and were absent for more than six hours. When they returned, the small boxes with them were no longer there, after which they were taken away by a helicopter.

Dugan emphasized that he had every reason to trust the text of the letter, since photos from the exercises and documents were also attached to it. He added that he tried to contact the author of the letter, but he did not succeed. The text was sent from a disposable email address on October 2, 2022.

The Nord Stream incident occurred on the night of September 26, 2022. Then pressure dropped in both pipelines, and later two leaks were discovered that were located in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Sweden, and two more in the Danish EEZ. Initially, the three countries agreed to conduct a joint investigation, but later this idea was abandoned. Sweden has already completed an investigation, but those responsible for what happened have not been named.

In early October, the Swedish State Security Service (SEPO) announced the completion of the investigation at Nord Stream. Investigators said they were “increasing suspicions of gross sabotage”, but they also did not name those responsible for the incident.

February 8, 85-year-old American journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh published investigation of the Nord Stream incident, in which, citing an unnamed source, he stated the involvement of the United States and Norway in the explosion. According to him, during NATO exercises in the summer of 2022, American divers planted explosives under gas pipelines, and in September, a Norwegian Navy plane dropped a sonar buoy that set off the explosives, the journalist concluded.

The White House denied this information, calling it “complete fiction.” After that, the Russian Embassy in the United States called on Washington to prove its non-involvement in what happened. At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declaredthat the US authorities not only admit their involvement in the explosions, but also “talk about it with pleasure.”

John Dugan used to work as a police officer in the state of Florida. But in 2016, he asked for political asylum in Russia after the FBI raided Dugan’s home on suspicion of hacking. In 2009, he created the PBSOtalk.org website, where anyone could anonymously post information about police corruption.