Who was responsible for the sabotage of the Nord Stream Pipeline? While many theories and reports have circulated pointing to various states and actors, The Wall Street Journal published a report Wednesday claiming to have the “real story” behind the attack, which involved a handful of senior Ukrainian military officers and businessmen.
According to those reportedly involved in the attack, the operation cost about $300,000 and was hatched up after a night of drinking. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was initially on board with the plan but later got cold feet and tried to call it off. A top general proceeded anyway.
It involved a small rented yacht with a six-member crew, including trained civilian divers. One was a woman, whose presence helped create the illusion they were a group of friends on a pleasure cruise.
“I always laugh when I read media speculation about some huge operation involving secret services, submarines, drones and satellites,” one officer who was involved in the plot said. “The whole thing was born out of a night of heavy boozing and the iron determination of a handful of people who had the guts to risk their lives for their country.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky initially approved the plan, according to one officer who participated and three people familiar with it. But later, when the CIA learned of it and asked the Ukrainian president to pull the plug, he ordered a halt, those people said.
Zelensky’s commander in chief, Valeriy Zaluzhniy, who was leading the effort, nonetheless forged ahead.
The Journal spoke to four senior Ukrainian defense and security officials who either participated in or had direct knowledge of the plot. All of them said the pipelines were a legitimate target in Ukraine’s war of defense against Russia.
Portions of their account were corroborated by a nearly two-year German police investigation into the attack, which has obtained evidence including email, mobile and satellite phones communications, as well as fingerprints and DNA samples from the alleged sabotage team. The Germany inquiry hasn’t directly linked President Zelensky to the clandestine operation. (WSJ)
Zaluzhniy, who now serves as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, denied knowledge of the operation and said it's “mere provocation” to suggest otherwise.
Last year, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh published a bombshell report claiming the Biden administration was behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. U.S. officials said the allegation is “completely and utterly false,”
Russia has blamed the U.S., Britain, and Ukraine for the sabotage, according to Reuters.
