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The Nord Stream Conspiracy: The Inside Story of the Explosions That Shook the World
Not yet published
Expected 16 Jun 26A riveting exposé of the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, the largest act of sabotage in modern history, told through unprecedented access and deep investigative reporting—part geopolitical thriller, part true-crime detective story, part gritty war chronicle
In September 2022, Scandinavian seismologists detected what seemed to be an undersea earthquake near the Danish island of Bornholm. Instead, several powerful explosions had destroyed Nord Stream, the $20 billion pipeline system that transported cheap Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. The mysterious blasts shifted global geopolitics, disrupted European economies, and triggered a manhunt that strained relations within the NATO alliance.
Drawing on years of firsthand reporting, award-winning Wall Street Journal correspondent Bojan Pancevski presents the definitive, behind-the-scenes account of this audacious operation. Authorized at the highest levels of Ukraine’s leadership, the mission was ostensibly unofficial and conducted with the utmost secrecy. Pancevski secured exclusive access to the German investigators and their political overseers as well as the Ukrainian agents who executed the attack—a team of intelligence officers, military personnel, and civilian divers. The saboteurs operated on a shoestring budget, using a small rented yacht with a seven-member crew to conduct the strike at great risk in extremely turbulent waters.
The Nord Stream Conspiracy addresses the two leading theories about who was responsible, Russia or the US, and explains how these narratives developed, including the popular US theory involving the CIA, which knew about the plot. This gripping account exposes the human stories and moral complexities behind one of the most remarkable geopolitical mysteries of our time, one that redefined modern warfare.
In September 2022, Scandinavian seismologists detected what seemed to be an undersea earthquake near the Danish island of Bornholm. Instead, several powerful explosions had destroyed Nord Stream, the $20 billion pipeline system that transported cheap Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. The mysterious blasts shifted global geopolitics, disrupted European economies, and triggered a manhunt that strained relations within the NATO alliance.
Drawing on years of firsthand reporting, award-winning Wall Street Journal correspondent Bojan Pancevski presents the definitive, behind-the-scenes account of this audacious operation. Authorized at the highest levels of Ukraine’s leadership, the mission was ostensibly unofficial and conducted with the utmost secrecy. Pancevski secured exclusive access to the German investigators and their political overseers as well as the Ukrainian agents who executed the attack—a team of intelligence officers, military personnel, and civilian divers. The saboteurs operated on a shoestring budget, using a small rented yacht with a seven-member crew to conduct the strike at great risk in extremely turbulent waters.
The Nord Stream Conspiracy addresses the two leading theories about who was responsible, Russia or the US, and explains how these narratives developed, including the popular US theory involving the CIA, which knew about the plot. This gripping account exposes the human stories and moral complexities behind one of the most remarkable geopolitical mysteries of our time, one that redefined modern warfare.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
324 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 16, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for an advance copy of this book on real-life events dealing with war, politics, sabotage, and even old-fashioned dogged police investigations, about an event that was daring in its actions, confounded those who should know better, an event that will go down in special operations history, accomplished by a group of patriotic amateurs.
The Russian and Ukraine Conflict has pointed out many modern problems in the world today. What does a govenment allow before they actually have to do something. American policy seems surprisingly Russian, which comes as no surprise with America's current administration. Most of Europe seems supportive of the Ukraine. Except when it comes to money. Germany while pledging support was also paying billions to Russia for natural gas. As a country on the move, Germany had a need, that Russia was more than willing to fill. And also to many made them a legitimate target. When the Nord Stream Pipeline suddenly blew-up, in a few spots the suspect list was pretty long, with a lot of powerful players. The United States, who wanted to sell gas to Germany, Russia as a false flag operation. Germany to get out of the deal. Some eyes looked at Ukraine, but an operation like that was judged too big, too expensive, and out of the countries reach. Out of the country maybe. However for a few talented insiders, a group of patriotic amateurs and whole lot of luck, sometime things can go right. The Nord Stream Conspiracy: The Inside Story of the Explosions That Shook the World by investigative journalist Bojan Pancevski is look at the incident, the people who might have been involved, the real world investigation, and what happened after, about an act so brazen that special operations people will be studying it for years.
Germany needed energy, and Russia was willing to supply it. All Germany had to do was keep quiet about certain actions that Russia was doing in Europe, invading neighbors, taking care of dissidents, even targeted assassinations. And pay billions of dollars a year to fund Russia's efforts to destabilize Europe. Germany was more than happy, making the United States mad for being cut out of selling America's gas, Poland annoyed at helping Russia. And the Ukraine for helping to fund an invasion of their territory, while saying how Germany was against it. This detente on gas lasted until the pipelines were dealt a catastrophic failure, due to bomb being accurately placed in a way to make them expensive and timely to fix. This operation was thought of as too big, needing to much people, training, specialized equipment, and lots of money. Some thought America, with proof offered of American ships near the site. Some thought Russia, again with ships near the pipeline. German investigators began to slowly probe, to ask questions, received reluctant help from allies, and came up with their own answers. All shared with the author, who lays out the evidence like an Agatha Christie novel.
One can see where some people might have a problem with this book. There are a lot of codenames. The General, the Colonel, Cousteau, The Soldier. Some might find this odd, I find this the best way to keep these people both out of trouble, or using British libel laws to sue. The book is written like a Tom Clancy book with a political understanding of the world, not a Reagan view of the world. The book moves almost from the first page, showing a world that few of us understand, though we live in it, with a view that is almost depressing in how cynical, corrupt and chaotic it is. The writing is really good, and in some spots funny. Pancevski meets with members of the Ukraine forces who might have been involved in the bombing, with a pen from the German investigators. The constant luck that the team had, and the bad luck that got them identified. The fact that the whole world is saved on data streams, and yet it still takes humans to get to the heart of the matter.
A fantastic book, both intriguing, depressing, and enlightening. A view of the Ukraine conflict much different than what we see, or what we are being told. A book that constantly amazed me, sadden me, and made me mad. One that I won't easily forget.
The Russian and Ukraine Conflict has pointed out many modern problems in the world today. What does a govenment allow before they actually have to do something. American policy seems surprisingly Russian, which comes as no surprise with America's current administration. Most of Europe seems supportive of the Ukraine. Except when it comes to money. Germany while pledging support was also paying billions to Russia for natural gas. As a country on the move, Germany had a need, that Russia was more than willing to fill. And also to many made them a legitimate target. When the Nord Stream Pipeline suddenly blew-up, in a few spots the suspect list was pretty long, with a lot of powerful players. The United States, who wanted to sell gas to Germany, Russia as a false flag operation. Germany to get out of the deal. Some eyes looked at Ukraine, but an operation like that was judged too big, too expensive, and out of the countries reach. Out of the country maybe. However for a few talented insiders, a group of patriotic amateurs and whole lot of luck, sometime things can go right. The Nord Stream Conspiracy: The Inside Story of the Explosions That Shook the World by investigative journalist Bojan Pancevski is look at the incident, the people who might have been involved, the real world investigation, and what happened after, about an act so brazen that special operations people will be studying it for years.
Germany needed energy, and Russia was willing to supply it. All Germany had to do was keep quiet about certain actions that Russia was doing in Europe, invading neighbors, taking care of dissidents, even targeted assassinations. And pay billions of dollars a year to fund Russia's efforts to destabilize Europe. Germany was more than happy, making the United States mad for being cut out of selling America's gas, Poland annoyed at helping Russia. And the Ukraine for helping to fund an invasion of their territory, while saying how Germany was against it. This detente on gas lasted until the pipelines were dealt a catastrophic failure, due to bomb being accurately placed in a way to make them expensive and timely to fix. This operation was thought of as too big, needing to much people, training, specialized equipment, and lots of money. Some thought America, with proof offered of American ships near the site. Some thought Russia, again with ships near the pipeline. German investigators began to slowly probe, to ask questions, received reluctant help from allies, and came up with their own answers. All shared with the author, who lays out the evidence like an Agatha Christie novel.
One can see where some people might have a problem with this book. There are a lot of codenames. The General, the Colonel, Cousteau, The Soldier. Some might find this odd, I find this the best way to keep these people both out of trouble, or using British libel laws to sue. The book is written like a Tom Clancy book with a political understanding of the world, not a Reagan view of the world. The book moves almost from the first page, showing a world that few of us understand, though we live in it, with a view that is almost depressing in how cynical, corrupt and chaotic it is. The writing is really good, and in some spots funny. Pancevski meets with members of the Ukraine forces who might have been involved in the bombing, with a pen from the German investigators. The constant luck that the team had, and the bad luck that got them identified. The fact that the whole world is saved on data streams, and yet it still takes humans to get to the heart of the matter.
A fantastic book, both intriguing, depressing, and enlightening. A view of the Ukraine conflict much different than what we see, or what we are being told. A book that constantly amazed me, sadden me, and made me mad. One that I won't easily forget.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3 stars 🌟🌟🌟
Title & Author: The Nord Stream Conspiracy by Bojan Pancevski
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Page count/format: In hardback, 320. In EBook via Kobo, 521
Release Date: Jun 16, 2026
For those who: want James Bond to be way more complicated
First sentence I highlighted out of pure syntactical surprise: "They failed to find fitting frogmen."
-
Thank you very much to the publisher, who provided me this ARC, which I read using the Kobo app.
I nit-pick the ones I like.
This is a tricky little book to review. And by little, I very much mean the opposite. Weighing in at a hearty 521 pages in e-book format, The Nord Stream Conspiracy requires dedication out of a reader. In part, one needs to keep a running tally of the characters involved - many of which are referred to by a nickname à la John Le Carré - and their various motives, upbringings, points of view, etc. It's also required, I think, for the reader to come at this with an ability to tolerate under-explication.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Nord Stream is a set of off-shore natural gas pipelines which run from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea. In late September of 2022, leaks were detected in these pipes in international waters off of the coast of Denmark. The subsequent multi-national investigation(s) determined that sabotage had caused the damage: namely, powerful explosive charges set off 80 meters below the surface. And this amongst the full-scale Russian invasion into Ukraine, Ukraine's counter-offensive, and the corresponding ripples in international relationships world wide. The German investigation into the incident is ongoing, and in September 2025 identified seven prime suspects -among them, a Ukrainian diver living in Poland.
I had never heard of the Nord Stream incident. (I maintain plausible deniability, since I was studying for the bar in the summer of 2022 and was unaware of anything besides my own ability to remember the rules of diversity jurisdiction in federal cases. If we were to be less charitable, I am an American. We are not known for our international savoir faire). Back to the under-explication, issue, then: I fear that others like me who had no idea what they were getting into would feel lost within this book.
Repeatedly, I would be pulled in by the more cinematic parts, propelled by the sense of political intrigue, then would have to stop short to revisit the glossary - who the hell is Santa Claus again?? - or do my own googling. What is the difference between the HUR and the SBU, again? Wait, they can just get civilians to do these things? I know President Zelenskyy as a general figure, and I know about the Cossacks but what is the actual thematic role of either here?
I'm not attempting to give the author a ding for my general ignorance of post-Soviet governance. But I felt that the narrative suffered by spending time on intricacies without first establishing the larger context. Mr. Pancevski is a decorated journalist in the international politics space; I have no doubt that those awards are deserved. The Nord Stream Conspiracy is obviously deeply-reported and extraordinarily well-sourced. At times I felt the promised shivers of geopolitical intrigue. However, I felt there was a missed opportunity. I would have happily traded meticulosity in each and every action taken in the conspiracy for a clearer explanation of the Ukrainian/Russian political norms and the major players involved.
I enjoyed this. But readers with a better grasp on the subject matter prior to ever picking up the book will enjoy it more than I did. Readers who have the capacity to do some additional research and catch themselves up on the generalities will also do well. And if you've ever wondered about who, exactly, would be willing to propel themselves ~250 under water to blow up a gas pipe and who might send those people that far down, pick this one up.
Title & Author: The Nord Stream Conspiracy by Bojan Pancevski
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Page count/format: In hardback, 320. In EBook via Kobo, 521
Release Date: Jun 16, 2026
For those who: want James Bond to be way more complicated
First sentence I highlighted out of pure syntactical surprise: "They failed to find fitting frogmen."
-
Thank you very much to the publisher, who provided me this ARC, which I read using the Kobo app.
I nit-pick the ones I like.
This is a tricky little book to review. And by little, I very much mean the opposite. Weighing in at a hearty 521 pages in e-book format, The Nord Stream Conspiracy requires dedication out of a reader. In part, one needs to keep a running tally of the characters involved - many of which are referred to by a nickname à la John Le Carré - and their various motives, upbringings, points of view, etc. It's also required, I think, for the reader to come at this with an ability to tolerate under-explication.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Nord Stream is a set of off-shore natural gas pipelines which run from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea. In late September of 2022, leaks were detected in these pipes in international waters off of the coast of Denmark. The subsequent multi-national investigation(s) determined that sabotage had caused the damage: namely, powerful explosive charges set off 80 meters below the surface. And this amongst the full-scale Russian invasion into Ukraine, Ukraine's counter-offensive, and the corresponding ripples in international relationships world wide. The German investigation into the incident is ongoing, and in September 2025 identified seven prime suspects -among them, a Ukrainian diver living in Poland.
I had never heard of the Nord Stream incident. (I maintain plausible deniability, since I was studying for the bar in the summer of 2022 and was unaware of anything besides my own ability to remember the rules of diversity jurisdiction in federal cases. If we were to be less charitable, I am an American. We are not known for our international savoir faire). Back to the under-explication, issue, then: I fear that others like me who had no idea what they were getting into would feel lost within this book.
Repeatedly, I would be pulled in by the more cinematic parts, propelled by the sense of political intrigue, then would have to stop short to revisit the glossary - who the hell is Santa Claus again?? - or do my own googling. What is the difference between the HUR and the SBU, again? Wait, they can just get civilians to do these things? I know President Zelenskyy as a general figure, and I know about the Cossacks but what is the actual thematic role of either here?
I'm not attempting to give the author a ding for my general ignorance of post-Soviet governance. But I felt that the narrative suffered by spending time on intricacies without first establishing the larger context. Mr. Pancevski is a decorated journalist in the international politics space; I have no doubt that those awards are deserved. The Nord Stream Conspiracy is obviously deeply-reported and extraordinarily well-sourced. At times I felt the promised shivers of geopolitical intrigue. However, I felt there was a missed opportunity. I would have happily traded meticulosity in each and every action taken in the conspiracy for a clearer explanation of the Ukrainian/Russian political norms and the major players involved.
I enjoyed this. But readers with a better grasp on the subject matter prior to ever picking up the book will enjoy it more than I did. Readers who have the capacity to do some additional research and catch themselves up on the generalities will also do well. And if you've ever wondered about who, exactly, would be willing to propel themselves ~250 under water to blow up a gas pipe and who might send those people that far down, pick this one up.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Was there some sort of massive conspiracy to memory-hole the Nord Stream sabotage? When I grabbed The Nord Stream Conspiracy by Bojan Pancevski, my first thought was...what Nord Stream explosion? Turns out it was a big one.
It turns out, around the beginning of the war in Ukraine, some people decided to blow up the one of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines which runs from Russia to Germany. There was a lot of finger pointing, but no resolution as to who did it and why. Pancevski says he has the true story, and I believe him!
The book is a mostly entertaining but overstuffed narrative. I will not fault the author for lack of access. In fact, I might fault him for having so much he doesn't know when to pull back and stay on task. I might be too hard on the book. Pancevski comes with the goods, and shines a light on some very entertaining characters. However, most of them are referred to by various nicknames usually tied to their job or leadership position. You get to the point where you just want the author to focus on what is happening rather than who everyone is. One person, who helps with the explosives, gets his own pseudonym, but only shows up again in the narrative in quick two references. It's choices like this that make the story seem hectic rather than propulsive.
However, as I said, I feel like I am maybe being too hard on the book. I finished it relatively quickly, but felt I could have been done much sooner and would have been more satisfied. I'd say that if this looks like fun to you, definitely pick it up. It's not bad by any measure. I'm just left feeling that it could have been much better with some different storytelling choices.
(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by Henry Holt and NetGalley.)
It turns out, around the beginning of the war in Ukraine, some people decided to blow up the one of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines which runs from Russia to Germany. There was a lot of finger pointing, but no resolution as to who did it and why. Pancevski says he has the true story, and I believe him!
The book is a mostly entertaining but overstuffed narrative. I will not fault the author for lack of access. In fact, I might fault him for having so much he doesn't know when to pull back and stay on task. I might be too hard on the book. Pancevski comes with the goods, and shines a light on some very entertaining characters. However, most of them are referred to by various nicknames usually tied to their job or leadership position. You get to the point where you just want the author to focus on what is happening rather than who everyone is. One person, who helps with the explosives, gets his own pseudonym, but only shows up again in the narrative in quick two references. It's choices like this that make the story seem hectic rather than propulsive.
However, as I said, I feel like I am maybe being too hard on the book. I finished it relatively quickly, but felt I could have been done much sooner and would have been more satisfied. I'd say that if this looks like fun to you, definitely pick it up. It's not bad by any measure. I'm just left feeling that it could have been much better with some different storytelling choices.
(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by Henry Holt and NetGalley.)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Reading like a “who done it,” this nonfiction book is the true story of a rogue act of sabotage that curtailed Europe’s reliance on Russian oil.
Monday, September 23, 2023, at 2:03 am, an explosion underground in the Baltic Sea blew out one of four massive conduits that make up the Nord Stream pipeline. The event had massive repercussions, disrupting European economies and triggering a massive manhunt that strained alliances within NATO.
The author was given exclusive access to information from key players - the saboteurs, high level intelligence personnel and investigators. The mission was ostensibly unofficial but was authorized at the highest levels of the Ukrainian government. The act itself was done on a shoestring budget and the telling is fascinating as are the theories that arose after the event of who was responsible - Russia or the US.
This is a gripping story filled with moral complexities. It reads like a thriller and delivers a solid punch about rationales that enter into world events. Highly recommend.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for granting me access to this ARC.
Monday, September 23, 2023, at 2:03 am, an explosion underground in the Baltic Sea blew out one of four massive conduits that make up the Nord Stream pipeline. The event had massive repercussions, disrupting European economies and triggering a massive manhunt that strained alliances within NATO.
The author was given exclusive access to information from key players - the saboteurs, high level intelligence personnel and investigators. The mission was ostensibly unofficial but was authorized at the highest levels of the Ukrainian government. The act itself was done on a shoestring budget and the telling is fascinating as are the theories that arose after the event of who was responsible - Russia or the US.
This is a gripping story filled with moral complexities. It reads like a thriller and delivers a solid punch about rationales that enter into world events. Highly recommend.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for granting me access to this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 ⭐️ A very interesting book authored by a journalist that follows the act of sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline and the far reaching consequences of that event as well as the pursuing investigation by German police. A difficult read due to the details included and number of characters and that often bogged me down. The glossary of players at end was helpful. Enjoyed that it was such a current topic that is on-going and the dynamic of all the countries involved.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy to read.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy to read.
March 11, 2026
The Nord Stream Conspiracy is a reporter’s look at an act of sabotage with far reaching impact across Europe. The writing is clipped as if it were a long series in a newspaper. It was interesting enough but it did feel a bit dry in the narrative. Thank you to #netgalley and #henryholtandco for the opportunity to preview this book.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
This is a high-stakes investigative nonfiction book that sits at the intersection of journalism, geopolitics, and true-crime-style storytelling. It focuses on one of the most politically sensitive infrastructure attacks in recent memory—the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions—and tries to reconstruct what happened, how, and why. It was a very interesting read!
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Fascinating story and great detail.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews