>The "obviously" escapes me

Russia has no more motive to blow up its own pipeline than America had to knock down the twin towers.

Cheap ready to go gas in January during a particularly harsh winter is going to look to Germany like crack looks to an addict.

It may escape you, but Russia knows this, Germany knows this and America knows this.

You're getting downvotes but this is why. Putin wants to end relations with western nations because democratic ideas are becoming more popular in Russia (and Ukraine, whom russians can easily compare themselves to, starting to prosper as a result) and that is a huge danger to his authoritarian legacy and to him. His ego is that Russia has superior culture and genetics when compared to the west and his losing to Ukrainians and NATO supplied weapons is really hard on his ego and reputation which is everything to him.

If only there was another pipeline right next to Russian armed forces that they could more easily blow up.