There could have been sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines on September 26, 2022. United States intelligence and reports point to the work of a pro-Ukrainian group. The New York Times reported this theory on Tuesday, noting that anonymous government resources discuss the possibility. These sources do not guarantee that they personally observed evidence linking the operation to the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, or to senior Ukrainian commanders. They also do not claim that the saboteurs acted on orders from Kiev officials.
The new thesis emerged a few weeks after journalist Seymour Hersh published an article alleging that the United States was responsible for the sabotage. Hersh claimed that a covert American operation was endorsed by President Joe Biden. While many pundits disputed Hersh’s piece citing a single anonymous source, the White House called it completely wrong, renewing the debate over the Nord Stream attack.
At the end of last month, Russia convened a Security Council meeting chaired by a prominent analyst. Sweden, Denmark and Germany are investigating the attack, yet they have not shared the results of their interrogations. Sweden also refused to open a joint investigation with the other two nations.
stinginess in details
Sources cited by The Times acknowledge that there is much they do not know about the alleged perpetrators or their affiliations. Although they decline to provide specifics about how the intelligence information was obtained, its nature, or the strength of the evidence, critics of Vladimir Putin have yet to identify the individuals or groups behind the operation, or who finances it.
The newspaper was told that no United States or United Kingdom citizens were involved, and it was suggested that the suspects might be Ukrainian or Russian, or both. They also concluded that the Kremlin bears no responsibility for the attack. Nord Stream’s expensive and sophisticated gas pipelines represent a significant income source and a lever for influence in Europe.
Without reaching a firm conclusion, authorities noted the possibility of a saboteur with ties to the Ukrainian government or security services. They warned that the operation could have involved experienced divers placing explosives on the Baltic seabed. While there is no indication that the attackers worked with the military or intelligence services, government sources did not rule out past instances of specialized training by individuals with government connections.