The PVV demands measures against Ukraine now that it increasingly appears that President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top general approved the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea in 2022. The Dutch military intelligence service MIVD was informed in detail and warned the CIA. Then D66 Minister of Defense Kajsa Ollongren must have known about it, but played dumb.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reveals today that the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) reported in the summer of 2022 about the secret operation of Ukrainians. They rented a sailing yacht in the German port city of Rostock and pretended to be tourists. In reality, they were trained deep-sea divers. In October of that year, they blew up from the sailing yacht Andromeda the Nord Stream pipeline at two points, leaving Russia without a direct connection to export gas to Western Europe.
The sabotage caused unprecedented environmental damage. The pipelines were damaged beyond repair. Energy prices skyrocketed.
MIVD agents tipped off CIA
In June, the TV show revealed News Hour that MIVD agents in Ukraine had knowledge of the Ukrainian sabotage. The WSJ writes today that the MIVD sent an intelligence report to the CIA in advance. Washington then warned President Zelensky not to carry out the plan.
Zelensky then reportedly ordered his top military officer, Chief of Defence Staff Valery Zaluzhny, to stop the action. But the four-star general reasoned that ‘once a torpedo is fired, you can’t call it back’. The Ukrainian saboteurs were already on their way with their sailboat and could no longer be reached.
Zaluzhny was removed from his post in 2023. He was promoted away and is now ambassador to London. Due to his diplomatic immunity, he cannot be prosecuted.
MIVD informed German service
According to the WSJ the MIVD later provided details of the sabotage to the German intelligence service. The information then reached the German justice department, which began an investigation. On Wednesday it was announced that a German judge had issued an international arrest warrant for a Ukrainian living in Poland, one of the main suspects in this case.
By blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline, Ukraine wanted to hit Russia financially. But the Russian war efforts were not hindered by it. However, Western European citizens and companies were affected: their energy bills shot up. Compensatory purchasing power measures also cost the Dutch government billions.
D66 minister Ollongren remained silent
If what the WSJ writes, D66 minister Ollongren and other members of the Rutte IV cabinet must have been aware of the Ukrainian attack on the pipeline. To the outside world, the cabinet acted as if the sabotage was a great mystery. Ollongren mainly asked for attention for better security of cables and pipes on the bottom of the North Sea. She remained silent about the involvement of the Zelensky government in disabling the Nord Stream pipes.
PVV leader Geert Wilders and his members of parliament Raymond de Roon and Joeri Pool raise the issue in two series of parliamentary questions. They want to know from Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Minister Ruben Brekelmans (VVD) of Defence and Minister Caspar Veldkamp (NSC) of Foreign Affairs when The Hague became aware of the Ukrainian sabotage plan and what the previous cabinet did with the ‘signals of possible Ukrainian involvement’. The PVV members believe that if President Zelensky approved the action, the Dutch attitude towards Ukraine must change.
Additional questions to Prime Minister Schoof and his colleagues about reports that Ukrainian President Zelensky knew about and agreed to the sabotage of Nord Stream. pic.twitter.com/VPBx0Df5MI
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) August 15, 2024
Agreement from formation under pressure
The Rutte IV cabinet was at the forefront of military support for Ukraine. For example, the Netherlands was the first country to send F-16 fighter jets. In the last cabinet formation, the VVD in particular insisted on continuing support for Ukraine. The PVV was much less in favour of this. Until then, Wilders had maintained that the Netherlands would be better off staying out of the way. But for the sake of coalition formation, he agreed with the VVD line.
The revelations of the WSJ are putting pressure on the formation agreement. Wilders calls ‘the attack on the energy infrastructure that is also relevant to us a very serious crime’. According to the PVV leader, this affects ‘essential interests of the Dutch State with major consequences for Dutch society as well’. He urges to reconsider the relationship with Ukraine.
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