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How a former erotic model blew up Russia’s Nord Stream pipeline (www.thetimes.com)
submitted 3 weeks ago by technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/news@hexbear.net
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[-] darkcalling@hexbear.net 51 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Limited hang-out bullshit again. How many of these bullshit stories are they going to continue spinning and how many will gullible "journalists" from purported "progressive / left-leaning" news outlets continue to uncritically publish?

It was NATO professional special forces demolition divers. No one else would have been able to do this.

In theory they could have gotten two illiterate 16 year old farm-hands from Ukraine, had those same guys train them how to do this for 6 months, put them on one of their NATO subs or ships, given them NATO explosives and deep dive equipment and placed them there in a "technically our guys didn't do it" move but the important thing is.... NATO did this, NATO is responsible for this. This could not have happened without active NATO participation, training, ships, assets, explosives, etc, etc. So it's all pointless to bullshit about yachts with brave small Ukrainians.

[-] ClathrateG@hexbear.net 24 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

This is much closer to what actually happened: https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream

The 'Andromeda' story is bullshit, you couldn't even fit the equipment required to dive to depths of the pipes on it(ordinary SCUBA wouldn't work)

[-] culpritus@hexbear.net 24 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Why does this read like an AI generated adventure story?

An old explosives engineer who was advising the saboteurs told them that punching even a small hole in a pressurised pipeline would unleash a reaction that would rip open the pipes, not unlike piercing a balloon.

mystery-emote

I think I know I've heard that before

speech-r

fry

This is just embarrassingly bad:

“The war would not have started without the Nord Streams,” the Colonel told his teams at a briefing. Russian gas gave Moscow economic and political influence over Ukraine’s allies. The pipelines were tentacles wrapped around Europe’s neck. Destroying them would slash Putin’s revenue and release the stranglehold. The Colonel’s words resonated. Freya hadn’t understood why Nato wasn’t helping more as Russian missiles rained down on civilian targets. Putin had tied their hands with his energy blackmail. It was time to end it.

Each team was assigned a skipper and two military officers. Freya’s team included a champion sailor from Odesa whom I’ll call the Skipper; a serviceman known as the Soldier, a wanted criminal redeemed by the war; and the Captain, a commander who was an old friend of the Colonel: a tough, reformed drinker who had found God and veganism.

But the Colonel had always believed that Freya gave them one advantage no forged document could provide. If stopped by police, he said, they should say they were making a diving-themed pornographic movie.

It's like they told the AI to right YA adventure narrative with only a few specific details to fit the cover story.

[-] Yllych@hexbear.net 14 points 3 weeks ago

I don't know if this is ai but the article is definitely goofy as hell in the story it proposes. It's written like it's moonligting as a movie script

To rip open a pipeline at the bottom of the sea requires skills that go far beyond those of even elite special forces divers. Most US Navy Seals couldn’t go down as deep, nor could most members of Britain’s SBS. Instead it was done by ordinary civilians thrust into extraordinary roles.

Yeah I don't buy that. The us military wouldn't dive to the bottom of the North Sea? Wtf is this article talking about. A sexy femme fatale and her ragtag group of dashingly codenamed conspirators sailed a yacht and did some amateur industrial sabotage? No mention of Seymour Hersh's story? This doesn't pass smell test for me.

I guess at least it's not blaming Russia for the attack lol.

[-] LeeeroooyJeeenkiiins@hexbear.net 5 points 3 weeks ago

Are navy seals like deep deep water divers, though? I thought they were just marines who get wet

[-] EmmaGoldman@hexbear.net 13 points 3 weeks ago

Yes, absolutely. Extreme depth training and closed circuit rebreather use are part of SEAL training.

To be honest, other than the use of explosives there's nothing about this particular dive that someone with an Advanced Open Water Diver certification and a couple of specialty courses under their belt wouldn't be able to do.

My dad was a naval doctor and the diving training he received while studying hyperbaric medicine was enough to easily translate to a Master Scuba Diver rating for recreational diving. SEALs get significantly more training than that.

[-] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml 9 points 3 weeks ago

Navy SEALs were created in 1942 as literally "Underwater Demolition Team"

[-] PoY@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 3 weeks ago

they're marines who take off their floaties in the pool

[-] BattleshipPokemon@hexbear.net 5 points 3 weeks ago

If stopped by police, he said, they should say they were making a diving-themed pornographic movie.

Diving-themed pornographic movie that requires ~500kg of plastic explosives stuffed in the car boot

[-] Collatz_problem@hexbear.net 18 points 3 weeks ago

CIA have really cheaped out on their cover stories lately.

[-] robot_dog_with_gun@hexbear.net 17 points 3 weeks ago

cool hangout, i'm still blaming the US

[-] Enjoyer_of_Games@hexbear.net 13 points 3 weeks ago

this-is-fine part-of-history eu-cool

[-] plinky@hexbear.net 13 points 3 weeks ago

funny how former erotic models never blow up transatlantic data cables, must be lack of a cover story

[-] Hestia@hexbear.net 13 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

If anyone knows how to make a pipe explode it would be a... checks notes

former erotic model...

[-] TheBroodian@hexbear.net 12 points 3 weeks ago

The thing about this that I don't get is: who is this for? Surely it was obvious to the government of Germany at the time it happened, and has only become more obvious with time, that the US blew up this pipeline. If it's for you and me, what does that accomplish?

[-] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml 12 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

It's story fabricated for USA by USA (and some puppets from UA to take the blame) to justify pivot from Ukraine.

German govt (and generally rest of NATO) can't protest this Ukraine narration because the alternative is much worse. So they benefit more from the tactic they used from the beginning: faking investigation and burying entire thing in memoryhole, because Ukraine being responsible is still a hugely uncomfortable for Germany. You can tell how they keep "botching" the investigations all the time in numerous countries and Germany is just "oh, ok, nevermind" for the biggest act of sabotage committed since WW2.

[-] Hestia@hexbear.net 11 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Different lines of propaganda talking points depending on what demo you're targeting

Russia is so incompetent even a former sex worker can destroy their pipelines

Ukraine empowers women

Stuff like that

[-] miz@hexbear.net 11 points 3 weeks ago

hasan-ok-dude

[-] BattleshipPokemon@hexbear.net 7 points 3 weeks ago

reads worse than the ao3 fanfics i read as a kid

[-] KuroXppi@hexbear.net 4 points 3 weeks ago

Huh?

this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2026
31 points (97.0% liked)

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