Might only superficially look like against Russia’s interest.
Consider
1. Germany seized 2 or 3 Germany located Russian owned refineries.
A tit-for-tat reaction to that is very Russian.
2. In the bigger picture, this puts more pressure on Europe. Particularly the Northern European (like the Scandinavian countries) who have gotten uncharacteristically very bold in their antiRussian diplomacy due to the Ukraine situation. Europe through its unicorn snorts & fairy farts energy policies have put themselves in a very unstable dangerous energy, economic societal situation. (Maybe the UK, Sweden & Italy are turning this around, it won’t be instantaneous.) Putin maybe betting his people can suffer more “inconvenience” than the Europeans. He knows Uncle Sammy can’t ride to the energy rescue, we’ve got our own version of energy fantasyland. I can see this as a game of “energy chicken” with the respective populations. He thinks Russians can eat “cold chicken” longer. Past history says they can, recent modern history, maybe not!
If we had done it, I think that it would be leaked in a “believable fashion” by now.
And yes, he could have just turned off his end rather than blow up sections. He also could have “cyberly” turned off sections through the control software. However, this more dramatic and everyone is pointing fingers. We could have turned it off “cyberly” also. Blowing sections up seems so last century and unnecessary. The “bombs” in themselves are a message from someone, maybe Russia, maybe not! I think Russia for the reasons above. New information, I’ll change my opinion.
I still wouldn’t rule out a radical environmental group doing it. Germany, Northern Europe has many such groups that have money and sophistication.
“I still wouldn’t rule out a radical environmental group doing it. Germany, Northern Europe has many such groups that have money and sophistication.”
I have been thinking along those lines as well. Do they have the ability to pull that off?