Pro-Ukraine Group Potentially Responsible For Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage
New intelligence suggests that the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines was committed by a pro-Ukraine group, according to U.S. officials.
In September 2022, the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines — which bring natural gas from Russia to Germany — were damaged in an act of sabotage. Reports indicate that these two pipelines were hit with explosives, which damaged them in four locations off the coast of southern Sweden and Denmark. The underwater blasts reportedly caused significant methane leaks in international water in the Baltic Sea.
NATO previously determined that the attack was “the result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage.”
Initially, many tried to blame Russia for the sabotage, though critics of that theory questioned what Russia’s motivation would be for destroying their own pipelines. Others claimed that the United States was responsible for the attack, citing President Joe Biden’s previous promise to “bring an end to” the Nord Stream pipeline if Russia invaded Ukraine.
Ukraine was also suspected of being behind the attack, with some arguing that it was part of an effort to strike back at Russia for their invasion.
Now, U.S. officials have announced that a pro-Ukraine group may be responsible for the sabotage — noting that while a significant amount of information about the perpetrators is still unknown, a review of the matter suggests that the saboteurs were opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to a Tuesday report from the New York Times, U.S. officials have stated that they do not have any evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or his top officials were involved in the attack. There is also no evidence that the perpetrators acted at the direction of the Ukrainian government.
The New York Times went on to claim that they were provided with details of the matter by anonymous U.S. security sources, who tied the attack to a “pro-Ukrainian group.”
Further reporting from German media asserted that the sabotage was perpetrated by a ship allegedly owned by two Ukrainian businessmen.
According to a report from Die Zeit, the ship was rented out by individuals of unknown national origin, and sailed out of a Polish port for the attack.
Breitbart News noted that the attack “involved a team of six people planting explosives on the underwater pipeline. With those involved allegedly using fake passports throughout the operation, it remains unknown what nationality those involved in the attack were, though American sources reportedly believe they were either Russian, Ukrainian, or a combination of both nationalities.”
The estimated cost of repairing the damage done by the attack is at least $500 million.
Meanwhile, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh — who has published articles claiming that the Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed in a covert operation by the United States — responded to the assertion that a pro-Ukraine group was behind the attack.
In response to learning about the New York Times article, Hersh stated “they can’t be that stupid.”
According to Hersh, his sources stated that explosives had been planted on the Nord Stream pipelines in June 2022 by U.S. Navy divers under the guise of the BALTOPS 22 NATO exercise. The sources also reportedly asserted that the explosives had been detonated three months later via a remote signal sent by a sonar buoy.
