I have a little hypothesis: a pipeline pig.

Pigs are occasionally inserted into pipelines for cleaning and measurements purposes. THe pipeiine pressure moves the pig through the pipeline from start to finish. There are various mechanisms to insert and retract pigs. Pigs can travel hundreds of kilomoters. It would not have been that difficult for a pig to be rigged with an explosive. And with an internal explosion, that explosive need not be that powerful to break the pipeline. It all depends where the pig insertation points are? Before the pipeline leaves Russia? Maybe after?

I have a little problem in believing that there is a boardroom that says: "Profits are down. Let's start a war." Rather it is more of a case that the boardroom(s) know that sooner or later a war will be called. And the company needs to position itself to take advantage.

A somewhat popular hypothesis is that western munition stockpiles were reaching their expiry dates. Ukraine was a convenient way to get some revenue for these old stocks--and militaries to stock up on new stuff.

It's a strange world.