New intelligence suggests that the sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines could have been carried out by a pro-Ukrainian group. About this today, March 7, writes The New York Times, citing sources in the US administration.
At the same time, journalists Adam Intous, Julian Barnes and Adam Goldman emphasize that the group, in all likelihood, acted without the knowledge of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the central authorities in Kyiv. In any case, US intelligence has no evidence of this yet.
“Some officials believe that Ukraine and its allies have the most logical potential motive for attacking the pipelines. They opposed the project for years, calling it a national security threat because it would allow Russia to more easily sell gas to Europe. Representatives of the Ukrainian government and military intelligence say they did not participate in the attack and do not know who carried it out,” — writes NYT.
There are no clear conclusions and it is possible that the operation was unofficially carried out after all by forces associated with the Ukrainian government or its special services, the interlocutors of the publication said.
“Officials who reviewed the intelligence said they believed the saboteurs were most likely citizens of Ukraine or Russia, or both. At the same time, neither American nor British citizens were involved in the incident, – the publication says.
The explosives were most likely planted by experienced divers who did not appear to be working for the military or intelligence services, said U.S. officials who reviewed the new intelligence. But it is possible that in the past they underwent special state training, continues The New York Times. “There are still huge gaps in the picture of what happened,” intelligence officials say. But this could be the first significant lead for investigations, the findings of which could have serious implications for the coalition supporting Ukraine.”
The publication notes that any suggestion of Ukrainian involvement, whether direct or indirect, could affect the difficult relationship between Ukraine and Germany, undermining the support of the German public, which swallowed high energy prices in the name of solidarity.
“Any conclusions that are blamed on Kyiv or pro-Ukrainian forces could provoke a backlash in Europe and make it harder for the West to maintain a united front in support of Ukraine. U.S. officials and intelligence agencies admit they have limited understanding of decision-making in Ukraine. — Despite Ukraine’s deep dependence on the United States for military, intelligence and diplomatic support, Ukrainian officials are not always open with their American counterparts about their military operations, especially against Russian targets behind the lines. The operations already carried out have disappointed US officials, who believe they have not appreciably improved Ukraine’s position on the battlefield, but risk alienating European allies and expanding the war.
A European MP told the American publication that his country’s foreign intelligence had informed him of gathering information on 45 “ghost ships” whose transponders were not turned on or did not work when they passed through the area of gas pipeline explosions, possibly to hide their location. In addition, the perpetrators used over 1,000 pounds of “military grade” explosives.
Earlier, in February, an investigation about Nord Stream was published by a well-known American journalist Seymour Hersh. Sources told him that the President of the United States Joe Biden approved, and the White House and the Pentagon organized sabotage on the Baltic gas pipelines with the support of Norway. During a NATO exercise in the Baltics last summer, off the Danish island of Bornholm, explosives were planted on pipelines that were later activated by beacons dropped from aircraft.
The American authorities said that the information of the journalist is not true. At the same time, the authorities of Germany, Sweden and Denmark are conducting their own investigations and do not rule out sabotage with state participation. True, Russia is not allowed to investigate. And Poland and the Baltic countries generally accuse Moscow of sabotage. Analysts at The New York Times question this version, since Nord Stream brought Russia significant income, while American intelligence found no signs that the Russian government could be involved in sabotage.
