New allegations against Kyiv: Ukraine and the Nord Stream sabotage
By News.Az
On August 15, 2024, Western media reignited discussions concerning Ukraine's alleged role in the explosions of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines . The spotlight has been cast on former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny, who, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), may have been the mastermind behind the sabotage. The report indicates that the plan was initially approved by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, though he later attempted to cancel it.According to WSJ, citing sources, high-ranking Ukrainian officials first discussed the possibility of sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines in May 2022. The initial plan involved the use of a small yacht and a group of divers, including a woman, to create the appearance of a regular maritime excursion. The operation was to be financed by Ukrainian businessmen, and all agreements were made verbally to avoid leaving any documentary evidence.
A key detail, as reported by WSJ, was the intervention of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which became aware of the plan and insisted on its cancellation. Despite Zelensky's direct order to halt the operation, Valeriy Zaluzhny not only ignored the instruction but also made modifications to the original plan. He enlisted the help of former Ukrainian Special Operations Forces officer Roman Chervinsky, which, according to sources, could have significantly altered the course of events.
These new allegations build on versions previously presented in June 2023, when some Western media claimed that the CIA had obtained information about Ukraine’s plans from the Dutch Military Intelligence Service. At that time, it was believed the plan had been shelved, but the subsequent explosions proved otherwise.
It is important to note that both Valeriy Zaluzhny and Volodymyr Zelensky categorically deny any involvement in these events. Zaluzhny stated that he had no knowledge of any such operation and dismissed any claims of his involvement as provocation. He emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are not authorized to conduct overseas missions, making his involvement impossible. Volodymyr Zelensky also denied the accusations, stating that as President of Ukraine, he alone has the authority to issue such orders, and no such directive was ever given.
Amid these denials, German media outlets such as Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, and ARD published the results of their investigation on August 14, 2024. They reported that the German Prosecutor General's Office had issued an arrest warrant for Ukrainian diving instructor Volodymyr Z., suspected of direct involvement in the Nord Stream explosions. According to the investigation, Volodymyr Z. and his accomplices, using diving equipment, attached explosives to the pipelines at significant depths. Notably, Volodymyr Z. and the other suspects left Germany shortly after the incident.
Investigators also discovered that six people might have been involved in the explosions, including Volodymyr Z. and his Ukrainian colleagues and fellow diving instructors. According to the investigation, all of them were aboard the Bavaria Cruiser 50 Andromeda yacht, which departed from the port of Rostock in early September 2022. The vessel made several stops in Rügen, Bornholm, Christiansø in Denmark, Sandhamn in Sweden, and Kołobrzeg in Poland before returning to Rostock. It is believed that during one of these stops, the divers descended to the seafloor and installed the explosive devices.
The Russian side categorically rejects the version of Ukraine's involvement in the Nord Stream bombings. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called this version unfounded, asserting that such explosions could only be carried out with the support of a state possessing the necessary technologies. He has repeatedly blamed the United States for these acts of sabotage. In an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson, Putin stated that such large-scale operations require state support and technologies available only to major powers.
Alternative theories considered by some experts suggest that the United States may have been involved in organizing the explosions, with the United Kingdom or Norway as the executors. Specifically, Kim Dotcom (Kim Schmitz), the founder of file-sharing services Megaupload and Mega, claimed that shortly after the Nord Stream explosions, then-British Prime Minister Liz Truss sent a message from her iPhone to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken with the text “It’s done.” The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that it had information indicating the involvement of the British Navy in planning, supporting, and carrying out the pipeline explosions.
It is also worth mentioning the version presented by American journalist Seymour Hersh in February 2023. He asserted that the United States was behind the Nord Stream explosions, with American divers laying explosives on the pipeline lines in June 2022 under the cover of the NATO Baltops 22 exercises. The charges were reportedly activated in September using an acoustic buoy dropped from a Norwegian Navy reconnaissance aircraft.
The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipeline explosions occurred on September 26, 2022, near the Danish island of Bornholm. The incident resulted in a sudden drop in pressure in both lines of Nord Stream 1 and in one of the lines of Nord Stream 2. Gas leaks were detected in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. An investigation of the seafloor revealed the presence of craters, presumably of man-made origin, which supports the explosion theory.
Sweden, Germany, and Denmark initiated investigations into the incident. At present, Denmark and Sweden have concluded their investigations, while the German Prosecutor General's Office continues to probe the circumstances. Commenting on the latest publications, Wolfgang Büchner, Deputy Spokesperson for the German government, noted that the investigation remains a priority, and its results will not affect Germany's support for Ukraine.
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