Lawless Planet – "Who Blew Up the Nord Stream Pipeline?"

Podcast: Lawless Planet
Host: Zach Goldbaum
Date: September 22, 2025

Overview

This episode of Lawless Planet examines the shocking destruction of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea—widely described as the single largest methane leak in history. Host Zach Goldbaum guides listeners through a tangled web of geopolitics, energy dependency, espionage, and environmental impact. The question driving the episode: Who sabotaged the pipelines—and why? Goldbaum, with insights from German investigative journalist Holger Stark, meticulously reconstructs the timeline, sifts through theories, and highlights the global stakes of this real-life thriller at the heart of Europe's energy crisis.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Attack: Setting the Scene

• [00:00–03:28]
  • In September 2022, a mysterious group aboard the sailboat Andromeda is believed to have placed explosives on the Nord Stream pipelines.
  • Ten days later, European authorities detect a massive, continuous methane eruption in the Baltic Sea. The economic and political fallout is immediate.
  • Quote:
    "They don't know it yet, but they've just reported what may be the single largest methane leak in recorded history."
    – Zach Goldbaum [02:28]

2. The Pipeline's Past: Energy, Dependency, and Politics

• [05:15–10:41]
  • Goldbaum provides context for the Nord Stream pipelines' construction, focusing on how they bypassed Ukraine and reinforced Germany’s energy reliance on Russia.
  • Holger Stark explains how Germany’s quest for cheap gas led to a dangerous dependency orchestrated by Russia's Putin.
  • Quotes:
    "Nord Stream for Germany always was a tool to obtain cheap gas. Putin did that intentionally to lure Germany into an economic connection and also a dependency."
    – Holger Stark [08:31]
  • Ukraine’s loss of pipeline transit revenue and its protection role foreshadowed growing vulnerability, culminating in Russia's annexation of Crimea.

3. The War and the Energy Crisis

• [11:29–14:13]
  • Tensions heighten in early 2022 as Russia masses troops near Ukraine. Western leaders use the fate of Nord Stream 2 as potential leverage, but Russia invades anyway.
  • Gas remains a bargaining chip and a point of vulnerability throughout the conflict.
  • Quote:
    "We will bring an end to it."
    – Joe Biden on Nord Stream 2 if Russia invades [12:22]

4. Sabotage Confirmed: Unraveling the Mystery

• [15:57–17:37]
  • The methane leaks are swiftly identified as deliberate sabotage, sparking speculation—was it Russia, the US, or an unknown operator?
  • Holger Stark’s initial instincts point to Russia, recalling previous false flag operations.

5. Conspiracy & Investigation: Tracking Leads

• [17:37–20:45]
  • Theories swirl: Some see US motives, especially after Seymour Hersh’s controversial report suggests direct US involvement. The report is met with skepticism.
  • Holger Stark refuses to follow Hersh’s example, focusing instead on concrete evidence and verifiable sources.

6. Breakthrough: The Andromeda Trail

• [21:06–25:22]
  • Goldbaum and Stark present the investigative turning point—German police shift focus from large industrial ships to an inconspicuous yacht. The Andromeda is revealed via charter records tied to a Ukrainian national.
  • Evidence including DNA, personal effects, and traces of explosives links the boat to the attack.
  • Quote:
    "They found hairs, a base cap, a T-shirt... scratches all over the platform. Some really heavy devices obviously have been on that platform. And they also found some tiny traces of explosives."
    – Holger Stark [24:51]

7. The Suspects: Piecing Together Identities

• [25:33–32:13]
  • Authorities focus in on six crew members—five men and one woman—seen moving and acting suspiciously along the Baltic ports.
  • A crucial clue: a speeding ticket photo places Volodymyr Z., a Ukrainian diving instructor, at the scene. He escapes prosecution thanks to political reluctance in Poland, and is spirited back to Ukraine.
  • Quote:
    "The hatred against the Russians in Poland is unbelievable... so the question is, what do you do with such a hot potato that's coming from Germany?"
    – Holger Stark [31:20]

8. The Motive: Ukraine's Gamble

• [32:13–34:26]
  • Reporting by the Wall Street Journal uncovers a fateful meeting of Ukrainian leaders and businesspeople, where a plan is hatched to destroy the pipeline as an economic attack on Russia.
  • Questions of authorization remain. Did President Zelensky approve it? Was it American-supported?
  • Quote:
    "The Ukrainians never would be able to do a very sophisticated operation without American training. That doesn't mean necessarily that this was jointly planned, but the logistical support in general by the Americans is extremely important."
    – Holger Stark [35:01]

9. Fallout & Broader Lessons

• [34:26–37:16]
  • One Ukrainian is arrested in Italy, but who ordered the hit remains a mystery.
  • The destruction of Nord Stream—meant to bolster European security—inadvertently accelerates Europe’s green energy transition. German carbon emissions drop to a 70-year low.
  • Quote:
    "For the Germans, Nord Stream and the Russian invasion was the end of a lie or an illusion."
    – Holger Stark [35:38]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "What happened that night aboard the Andromeda remains a mystery..." — Zach Goldbaum [00:28]
• "It's such an overwhelming story... almost impossible for one reporter to break a story and bring it home safely." — Holger Stark (on team collaboration) [23:17]
• "Reality is sometimes writing the best thrillers. So if you would be a scriptwriter, you couldn't imagine a better plot with better twists than this one." — Holger Stark [16:49]
• "When that illusion was shattered, a small sliver of good news did begin to emerge... Europe finally confronted what had been keeping the light bulb on." — Zach Goldbaum [35:47]

Important Timestamps

• 00:00–03:28 — Introduction and summary of the Nord Stream sabotage
• 05:15–10:41 — Origins, geopolitical context, and economic dependencies
• 13:57–14:13 — Russian invasion of Ukraine; gas supply crisis
• 16:16–17:37 — The first public realization of sabotage
• 21:06–25:22 — Discovery of Andromeda and key physical evidence
• 31:20–32:13 — Politics of the arrest warrant and evasion of suspects
• 34:26–35:47 — Immediate aftermath, European response, and net-zero acceleration

Conclusion

In this high-stakes episode, Lawless Planet pieces together a real-life geopolitical thriller, tracing the sabotage of a key energy pipeline from murky motives, through an improbable investigation, to profound consequences for Europe and the climate. The lingering ambiguity—who ordered the operation and with whose blessing—encapsulates the episode’s final warning: behind every environmental disaster is a tangle of covert agendas, sometimes with unexpected (and not always catastrophic) outcomes.