When planning Nord Stream 2
Kremlin probably wanted NATO’s secret Baltic Sea data
December 1, 2023, 8:12 p.m
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In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, an investigative committee is supposed to clarify Russia’s influence in the planning of Nord Stream 2. According to members of the panel, Moscow attempted to obtain NATO submarine coordinates during the approval process. The project was partially successful.
According to members of the state parliament, Russia is said to have tried to obtain secret NATO data to the Baltic Sea through the approval process for the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. Parliamentarians from various factions reported this unanimously after a witness interview in the committee of inquiry into the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Climate Foundation. The climate foundation was largely financed by Nord Stream 2.
The CDU MP Sebastian Ehlers reported that the Stralsund Mining Authority, as the licensing authority, had asked the Bundeswehr on behalf of Nord Stream 2 for coordinates of the NATO submarine diving areas in the region. René Domke, who took part for the FDP, reported the same thing and was surprised that such information should be passed on: “Mind you, to a project sponsor based in Switzerland and owned by the Russian state-owned company Gazprom.” According to reports, very coarse data was provided.
“Security of the Federal Republic and NATO is at risk”
The green alliance chairman of the investigative committee, Hannes Damm, was nevertheless shocked: the mining authority’s actions towards the Russian state-owned company Gazprom had “endangered the security of the Federal Republic and NATO”.
The Climate Foundation was founded by resolution of the state parliament at the beginning of 2021 to enable the completion of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline while circumventing threatened US sanctions, which was also successful. The special committee initiated by the opposition is intended, among other things, to clarify how great the influence of the Russian donors was on the then SPD/CDU state government when the foundation was founded.
Nord Stream 2, a subsidiary of the Russian state-owned company Gazprom, was the largest donor to the MV Climate Protection Foundation with 20 million euros. Nord Stream 2 did not go into operation as a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022.