The Ukrainian government claims it played no part in an attack that resulted in the blasting of part of the Nord Stream pipelines that traverse natural gas between Russia and Germany.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline was considered critical for Germany’s energy needs until it was severely damaged in last year’s attack. Breitbart News reported that official investigations have found it was intentionally sabotaged, but that whoever orchestrated the explosion remains undetected.
Now, a report by the New York Times published this week claims the outlet received information from anonymous U.S. security forces implicating a “pro-Ukrainian group,” that allegedly carried out the attack using a ship owned by two Ukrainian businessmen.
A piece published by Die Zeit stated that the boat was rented to people of unknown nationalities and left a port in Poland to carry out the attack.
American sources reportedly say the alleged attackers were either Russian, Ukrainian, or a combination of both nationalities.
Ukraine is strongly denying that it played any role in the plan, with presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak suggesting the allegations are “conspiracy theories.”
Another theory surrounding the attack is that it was carried out by the West, particularly U.S. Navy divers who planted explosives in June, igniting them three months later. The allegations came from American journalist Seymour Hersh, who famously won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Vietnam’s My Lai Massacre.
Russian officials may be favoring Seymour’s theory given that Moscow reportedly questioned how Americans could make assumptions without a full investigation.
“Obviously, the authors of the attack want to divert attention,” government spokesman Dmitry Peskov reportedly told Russian media.
“The very least that the Nord Stream shareholder countries and the United Nations must demand is an urgent, transparent investigation with the participation of everyone who can shed light,” continued Peskov, who also noted Russia’s exclusion from the investigation, commenting, “This is not just strange. It smells like a monstrous crime.”
Russians are not the only ones calling for a deeper probe. In Ireland, a politician named Clare Daly described the pipeline destruction as “one of the biggest acts of economic sabotage ever carried out on the European Union,” noting it is “very very strange” that the parliament is not focused on initiating an investigation or more discussion on the matter.
The explosion of the #NordStream pipelines is one of the biggest acts of economic sabotage carried out on the #EU. So it is very, very strange that there is no appetite for investigation no appetite for accountability, or restitution, nearly no discussion of it here at all! https://t.co/dAiPDQIYxX pic.twitter.com/HtfYMDTJhF
— Clare Daly (@ClareDalyMEP) February 21, 2023
Joe Biden notably said in Feb. 2022 that the U.S. would “bring an end to” the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine, prompting speculation over whether the attack was potentially American-led.
