According to US officials, there is no evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi or his closest associates were involved in or ordered the operation.
At the end of September 2022, several explosions occurred in the Baltic Sea, damaging both “Nord Stream” pipelines and causing four leaks. The Swedish Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions were sabotage, but the perpetrators have not yet been identified.
Ukraine and its allies have opposed the Nord Stream project for years, seeing it as a threat to national security. But the Ukrainian government and military deny any involvement in the sabotage and say they do not know who carried it out.
US officials have acknowledged that there are still many unknowns about the saboteurs and their affiliation. A new intelligence review suggests they are opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but their names have not been released. The head of the operation and the financier are also not disclosed.
US officials declined to disclose the nature of the new information or how it was obtained. Officials are also tight-lipped about how strong the evidence is.
Officials have said there are no firm conclusions, leaving open the possibility that the operation may have been carried out by forces linked to the Ukrainian government or its security services.
The explosives were likely planted by experienced divers who were not believed to be connected to the military or intelligence services. But it is possible that the saboteurs have previously undergone special training organized by the government, US officials said.
Officials briefed on the latest intelligence are divided on how much weight to place on the information. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity when speaking to the media.
