Volodymyr Zelensky, at a press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, said that Ukraine was not involved in the explosions in the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
“As for North Stream, we have nothing to do with it. <…> We have a clear understanding of where this originates, which states appear on which media platforms, and where this information can come from. I think some independent media are very dangerous. <…> Take steps like “This is wrong, it only works for Russia,” he said.
According to him, the purpose of the authors of publications in the Western media about Kiev’s involvement in pipeline explosions is to slow down the supply of weapons to Kiev. Zelensky believes that countries interested in easing the sanctions pressure on Russia and restoring trade and economic relations with Moscow are involved in the dissemination of this information.
NYT Publication
On March 7, the New York Times published an article reporting on “Putin’s opponents” – a certain “pro-Ukrainian group” of experienced divers. The investigation claimed that they were the ones who orchestrated the explosions in Nord Stream. The sources of the newspaper refer to the new intelligence of the US intelligence agencies. The publication also states that the group consists of Russian and Ukrainian citizens and that people from the UK and the USA did not participate in the sabotage.
“The intelligence review shows that [участники группы] They were opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but its composition and who led the operation was not specified, ”the article states.
At the same time, the newspaper’s interlocutors did not begin to explain the nature of the intelligence, where it was obtained, and the evidence it contained. However, sources claim that there is no evidence that the Ukrainian authorities were directly involved in the blasts, but that the possibility of Kiev contacting the saboteurs through proxies remains. “Ukraine’s opposition to Nord Stream 2 for years, describing it as a threat to national security,” is cited as the reason that Kiev may be linked to the explosions.
Broadcast Zeit
Immediately after the publication of the NYT, the material of the German Zeit was published. He claims that investigators found the ship used to transport divers to the dive site near the pipelines. The investigation revealed that the ship was chartered in Poland – the tracks lead to a company owned by the Ukrainians. However, the identities of the customers of the sabotage could not be determined.
The newspaper reported that five men and a woman participated in the attack in Nord Stream: a captain, two divers, two diver assistants and a doctor. They delivered the explosives to the crime scene and placed them there. According to investigators, the team left Rostock (Germany) on September 6, 2022, and the equipment necessary for the operation was previously delivered to the port by truck.
The Zeit publication also states that investigators managed to find the boat on September 7 at Vik (Dars) and then on the Danish island of Christiansø, northeast of Bornholm.
According to the investigation, traces of explosives were found on the desk in the cabin, and shortly after the destruction, the Western intelligence service sent a tip to European joint services that a Ukrainian commando was responsible for the destruction.
Western intelligence agencies also do not ignore the fact that the permission, which indicates that the Ukrainians are guilty, may turn out to be wrong.
On March 10, Reuters reported, citing the head of administration of the Danish island of Christiansø, that local police were looking for a particular yacht moored in the port between 16-18 December 2022. Police interviewed local residents and collected data at the port. Search results are not reported.
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White House strategic communications coordinator John Kirby said the US administration would not comment on the NYT publication.
On March 8, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the publications of the NYT and Zeit were a coordinated replenishment. According to him, US officials “cannot guess” as Washington has not conducted its own investigation into the explosions.
“Obviously, the perpetrators want to divert attention. This is clearly coordinated media stuffing,” he said.
Also on March 8, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance did not know who might have sabotaged Nord Stream.
On March 9, Peskov drew attention to the simultaneous publication of publications on the “Ukrainian trail” in the undermining of Nord Streams in almost all major American and European media.
“You see the Anglo-Saxons we talked about from the very beginning making a fuss. “Obviously, they have great embarrassment in relations with the Germans because of this terrorist attack, it’s obvious,” he said.
– said the Kremlin representative.
Also on March 9, the British Times published an article claiming that Western intelligence agencies had long known the “Ukrainian trace” in the Nord Stream case. The article says that NATO expects information on this not to be made public, as it will lead to aggravating relations between Kiev and Berlin. He also claims that European intelligence knew the name of the “private sponsor” of the sabotage. We are talking about a wealthy Ukrainian, whose name is not mentioned, but “sooner or later his name will be revealed, given that he left his unusual business card.”
On March 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the reaction of foreign media to explosions on gas pipelines as embarrassing. He published that the “Ukrainian oligarch” was involved in the undermining of gas pipelines, noting that Western journalists themselves “sowed the pig”. In general, Lavrov described Ukraine’s version of the intervention as “baby talk”.
“They didn’t want to talk about the Ukrainian trace because it could spoil the German-Ukrainian relations,” Lavrov said.