Accident or sabotage. What happened on the Nord Stream gas pipeline and what does Ukraine have to do with it?
The Nord Stream is a gas pipeline from russia to Germany that was supposed to supply gas to Europe, but in September 2022, an explosion occurred there. Why the investigation took so long and why Ukraine is accused of sabotage
"Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 are gas pipelines laid under the Baltic Sea that were supposed to supply russian gas to European countries. On September 26, 2022, three explosions occurred on the pipelines, resulting in a gas leak. It should be noted that at the time of the explosion, none of the pipelines were operating due to the gas conflict between the EU and russia, which occurred due to the russian invasion of Ukraine, but they were still filled with natural gas.
After the incidents on the pipeline, an investigation was launched, but no official version of the sabotage has been published. However, the Washington Post published its own version, citing anonymous Ukrainian and European sources, and accused Ukraine of sabotage.
Investigation of sabotage on the Nord Stream gas pipeline: what is known
Officials from Germany, Sweden, and Denmark, who investigated the gas pipeline explosions, said that traces of explosives were found at the site of the gas leak. That is, the version of sabotage was officially confirmed, but it has not yet been reported who was involved.
In March 2023, the German portal t-online stated that a few days before the explosions, russian ships were near the pipeline, which could have been involved in the explosions. At the same time, the russian side covertly promoted the narrative that Ukraine was responsible for the sabotage, and later officially stated that the explosions were organized by the United Kingdom. London denied any involvement.
In addition, the New York Times reported in March 2023 that new intelligence data vetted by U.S. officials seemed to indicate that a "pro-Ukrainian group" had carried out the attack on the pipelines.
Ukrainian representatives, including Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have repeatedly stated that they were not involved in the explosions and emphasized that all of Ukraine's accusations are just part of russian propaganda. And according to the former Ukrainian Defense Minister, such accusations are a compliment to Ukraine's special operations forces, but Ukraine has nothing to do with these activities.
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Did Chervinsky coordinate the attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline?
According to the US WP, the sabotage was coordinated by a senior Ukrainian military officer, Roman Chervinsky, who was following orders from Ukrainian officials. However, according to the publication, all of them were subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhny.
Thus, according to the published version, Chervinsky organized the work and logistics for a group of 6 people who directly carried out the mining and blowing up of the gas pipeline.
"They rented a sailboat under false names and used deep-sea diving equipment to place explosive charges on the gas pipelines," the article says.
At the same time, Chervinsky himself denies any involvement in the sabotage of the gas pipeline.
"All the assumptions about my involvement in the Nord Stream attack are being spread by russian propaganda without any basis," Chervinsky said in a written statement to The Washington Post and Der Spiegel, which conducted a joint investigation into his role.
Thus, any reports of "independent investigations" do not prove the involvement of a party in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, as no official version of the countries with direct access to the gas leak and evidence of sabotage has been published.
We remind you! Recent events have shaken up Ukraine: Zaluzhny's interview, Khorenko's dismissal, Zhovkva's comments, and the reaction of the President's Office and Zelensky. Read more about what it all means and why the world is talking about Ukraine's surrender in our previous article.
Photo: EvgeniyShkolenko/Depositphotos
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