How did divers manage to blow up the Nord Stream pipeline?

While technically possible, carrying a 500 kg payload at depths beyond 50 meters is extremely challenging and would typically involve commercial diving teams, saturation diving techniques, or the use of ROVs.

Handling a 500 kg payload is more feasible at shallower depths due to lower pressure and shorter decompression requirements.

At 30-50m depths, the challenges increase, and more sophisticated equipment (e.g., lift bags with remote controls) is likely required.

Typically, multiple large lift bags are used to make the payload neutrally buoyant or slightly negatively buoyant. The operation of these bags requires at least two divers, but ideally, a team of 3-4 divers should manage the lift bags to control the ascent and descent accurately. The payload needs to be guided and stabilized during the descent to prevent it from spinning, tilting, or drifting. This typically requires 2-3 divers focusing solely on keeping the payload steady.

At such depths, safety divers are essential. They provide assistance in case of emergencies, such as a diver getting entangled with the payload or a lift bag malfunctioning. At least 2-3 safety divers would be advisable. A dive supervisor or lead diver should be responsible for overseeing the operation, managing communications, and coordinating the divers' actions.

Minimum Team Size: Lift Bag Management: 3-4 divers. Payload Control: 2-3 divers. Safety and Supervision: 2-3 divers (including a dive supervisor). This brings the total minimum team size to around 7-10 divers.

In addition to the divers in the water, a surface support team, including a dive supervisor, tender, and possibly a medic, is essential. If available, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) can assist with the operation, potentially reducing the number of divers needed for direct handling.

It is bizzare that one arrest warrant was issued when many people were involved.

Yeah, if anything this shows up how hard and non-trivial it is. And they even suggest "they got the inadequate boat on purpose", oh really?

I think anyone with a mission hard enough wouldn't make it harder on themselves on such a triviality. Special missions will nerf themselves for a variety of reasons but here it's not coming out across as a particular good reason

The article, funnily enough, made a better argument in pointing that Andromeda sailing boat might not have been involved - but rather some other vessel. The whole article felt like reading a 'proof by contradiction in prose' - from the shabby state of diving enclosure, to the extreme technicalities in executing the sabotage, and lastly even mentioning naval presence in the area.

As a person not following the details of Nordstrom case, this article didn't tell me anything new except how a skeleton crew on a shabbily maintained skiff could/couldn't blow up a pipeline (better technical discussion offered by user:greenavocado in other thread). Are there other state actors involved? Maybe. Is it being used as a distraction for some cover-up? Possibly. Who knows

And the icing: the person charged criminally is 'one Mr. Volodymir Z, who denies being involved' :)

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