Seymour Hersh, a famous investigative journalist known for his investigation of the My Lai Massacre, Abu Ghraib Prison scandal, and Watergate, claims that the bombing of underwater gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last September were ordered by the White House and executed by the CIA. These deep sea diving operatives supposedly used BALTOPS 22, a military exercise centered around NATO mine-hunting capabilities, to plant a series of mines that were remotely detonated three months later. 

These pipelines would have provided cheap gas for most of Europe; completion of the pipelines would tie Europe to Russia for decades, greatly increasing the political influence of the Kremlin. Biden and his foreign policy team publicly stated months before the bombings that the US would stop the pipelines if Russia invaded Ukraine. Some allege that the US executed the bombings in order to lock Europe into dependency on American gas. When asked how the US could stop Nord Stream 1 and 2 with Germany still in control of the project, Biden never elaborated. In light of this story, Russia has demanded consequences for the US, who vehemently denies all involvement.