The Dangers of the Nord Stream Pipelines

The Nord Stream pipelines begin in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, and run under the Baltic Sea for almost 800 miles to Greifswald in northern Germany. They are the world’s longest subsea pipelines. The first set was completed in 2012, and when the second set—Nord Stream 2—is completed later this year, it will double the current capacity, bringing it to 3.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year that Russia can pump directly into Germany.

The main significance of these pipelines lies in the power they give to both Russia and Germany, and in the alarming way they bind the two nations together.

The pipelines will boost Russia’s leverage over Ukraine, Belarus and other former Soviet nations. Russia has been working to bring these countries back under its control. One way the Russians have applied pressure on these nations in the past is by cutting off shipments of gas through older pipelines, such as Soyus and Northern Lights, that go straight into those countries. But these older pipelines were also Russia’s main way to deliver gas into Western Europe. So that meant if Russia were to cut off those former Soviet nations, it also cut off the countries downstream—such as Germany.

With the completion of Nord Stream 2, Russia will be better positioned to shut off gas shipments to former Soviet nations without cutting off Germany. So if Russia decides to weaponize its energy, as it often has in the past, Moscow will have a sharper and more precise blade on that weapon.

For this reason, several former Soviet and other Eastern European nations protested the building of the Nord Stream pipelines. “The Nord Stream 2 project that is currently under preparation can pose certain risks for energy security in the region of Central and Eastern Europe” and will have “potentially destabilizing geopolitical consequences,” said a 2016 letter signed by the leaders of Estonia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Lithuania.

“Nord Stream 2 is one of the elements of energy weapons used by Russia against the world,” Ukrainian parliamentary chairman Andriy Parubiy was quoted as saying in a June 28 InsideSources report. “Ukraine knows for sure that gas supplies, for Russia, are not about the economy. For Russia natural gas, first of all, is a mechanism for political influence,” Parubiy added.

But Russia and Germany ignored all objections and forged ahead with the project.

Germany’s power will also be boosted by Nord Stream 2 because once the Germans receive Russia’s gas, they normally ship a significant portion of it on to France, the Netherlands and other nations in the region. If Germany had a reason to cut off a certain nation from these shipments, it would be well positioned to do it.

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote about what this means for Germany in our September 2018 issue:

This puts Germany in a position of power relative to Western Europe very similar to that of Russia with Eastern Europe! Germany already domineers Europe. That is clear by the construction of the pipeline despite objections from other European countries. Now it will be in a position to dictate policy for the Continent even more powerfully.

The Nord Stream pipelines also should have more of the world’s attention because they bind Germany and Russia together in an alarming way. The pipelines show that the two nations are closely cooperating in a fashion that undermines nato and in a way that has dark historic precedents.

History is clear that between times of war, Russia and Germany have often cooperated. The most recent and most troubling example of this was before World War ii when the two signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which helped create the conditions for the worst war in human history.

Mr. Flurry wrote that the Nord Stream pipelines today show that Russia and Germany are making a modern “Molotov-Ribbentrop deal.” He wrote:

History shows that Germany and Russia are not actually partners. When they enter into peace deals and economic partnerships, it is a signal that either or both are preparing for some kind of imperialistic exploit. This makes the Nord Stream 2 deal extremely concerning.

Mr. Flurry’s analysis of these developments is founded on Bible prophecy. He referenced the biblical books of Jeremiah and Matthew and showed how trends now underway—with the Nord Stream pipelines and related developments—are leading to a prophesied time of unprecedented global conflict.

But he also showed that beyond that conflict, there will be a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity for the peoples of Russia, Germany and the whole world. He wrote:

On the surface, this news about Germany and Russia may seem depressing. But if you view it through the lens of Bible prophecy, you clearly see that it is closely tied to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ! …

Men are going to continue in their futile attempts at forging peace. They will have to suffer until Jesus Christ returns. The suffering will get far more intense just before He returns. But His return is tied to this German rising power and this Russian rising power. …

We need to understand these Bible prophecies. They are preparing the way for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to this Earth. That means all the bad news is about to end. He is going to bring peace, joy and happiness to this world forever.

To understand the dangers of these developments and the profound hope that is tied to them, please read Mr. Flurry’s article “Germany and Russia’s Secret War Against America.”