Nord Stream bombings put Ukraine’s ties with Germany under pressure

Kyiv, Ukraine – The 2022 destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines, whose construction cost $19bn, epitomised the failure of “change through trade”, Berlin’s policy of softening Moscow’s hardline leadership through mercantile ties, according to some analysts.Pressurised gas was pumped from Yamal, Russia’s Arctic peninsula of deer herders and treeless tundra, to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany’s Baltic region of chalk cliffs and medieval castles.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Ukrainian strikes kill 12 in Russia and Donbas, target Wildberrieslist 2 of 3Ukrainian suspect, a ‘trained scuba diver’, arrested over Nord Stream blastlist 3 of 3Nord Stream bombing suspect to Hollywood fixer: Who is Volodymyr Zhuravlev?end of listBut on September 26, 2022, several underwater blasts created a kilometre-wide (0.6-mile) bubbling geyser of natural gas that became history’s worst release of methane and screeched the pipeline flows to a halt.Dubbed an act of sabotage, the apparent operation has drawn the attention of Hollywood director Doug Liman, known for blockbusters such as The Bourne Identity and Mr & Mrs Smith.Oscar-winning actors Sean Penn and Adrien Brody star in Liman’s u...