In February 2023, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh published a detailed account alleging the US Navy sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines during the BALTOPS 22 naval exercise. The report claims divers planted C-4 explosives that were later detonated remotely. President Biden had publicly stated in February 2022: 'If Russia invades, there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.' Danish, Swedish, and German investigations have not publicly attributed blame. The destruction of Nord Stream caused the largest single release of methane in history.
“Biden said on camera 'we will bring an end to it.' Hersh says the Navy did it under exercise cover. Three countries investigated and none named a suspect.”
From “crazy” to confirmed
The Claim Is Made
This is the moment they called it crazy.
On February 8, 2023, legendary investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published an account that would reshape conversations about US foreign policy and accountability. Writing on his Substack newsletter, Hersh alleged that the United States Navy had sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines during a routine NATO naval exercise called BALTOPS 22 in June 2022.
The claim was specific and detailed. According to Hersh's reporting, American military divers planted C-4 explosives on the pipelines during what appeared to be a standard Baltic Sea training exercise. The explosives, he alleged, were later detonated remotely, causing the infrastructure that delivered Russian natural gas to Europe to rupture catastrophically. The timing mattered—these pipelines had become a symbol of European energy dependence on Russia, particularly as tensions escalated over Ukraine.
Hersh's account carried weight because of his credentials. A Pulitzer Prize winner with decades of investigative work exposing classified military operations, Hersh had broken major stories before. His sources, he indicated, came from US intelligence and military officials. But within hours of publication, official Washington moved to dismiss him.
The White House and Pentagon issued denials. Spokespeople called the reporting false, unsubstantiated, and beneath serious consideration. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan characterized the article as "unfounded." The mainstream media largely followed suit, questioning Hersh's sourcing and suggesting he had been misled. No major news organization independently verified his core claims.
Yet the context surrounding the destruction remained undeniable. In February 2022, President Biden had made an unusual public commitment. "If Russia invades [Ukraine], there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2," he stated at a press conference. "We will bring an end to it." The statement was cryptic for a president—he didn't explain how America would accomplish this, or even acknowledge that such a thing might be within US capability. Within a month, Russia invaded. Within four months, the pipelines exploded.
Get the 5 biggest receipts every week, straight to your inbox — plus an exclusive PDF: The Top 10 Conspiracy Theories Proven True in 2025-2026. No spam. No agenda. Just the papers they couldn't hide.
You just read "Seymour Hersh reported the US Navy planted C-4 on Nord Strea…". We send ones like this every week.
No one's said anything yet. Be the first to drop your take.
What also couldn't be dismissed was the absence of a credible alternative explanation. Danish, Swedish, and German authorities launched investigations into the sabotage. By early 2024, these investigations had produced no public attribution of responsibility and no evidence pointing to Russia—the obvious suspect in media narratives. The lack of official findings stood in stark contrast to how quickly Western governments usually publicize conclusions that blame Russia.
The environmental consequences were stark. The destruction of Nord Stream caused the largest single release of methane in recorded history, with climate implications that drew little public attention. This suggested the operation, if it occurred, had proceeded without transparent cost-benefit analysis or public debate.
Here lies the genuine tension. Hersh provided a detailed narrative backed by decades of credible reporting, yet he offered no documentary evidence or publicly identifiable sources. Official denials came swift but without substantive rebuttal. Independent verification remained elusive. What remained was a chasm between what seemed geopolitically logical and what could be officially confirmed.
For citizens trying to understand major world events, this gap poses a persistent problem. The claim remains unverified in any official sense, yet the facts surrounding it—Biden's prediction, the timing, the lack of alternative explanations—resist easy dismissal. This is precisely why claimed truth matters: not because it resolves uncertainty, but because it documents the questions that power prefers remain unasked.
Beat the odds
This had a 1.3% chance of leaking — someone talked anyway.
Conspirators
~1,000Large op
Secret kept
3.2 years
Time to 95% exposure
500+ years
