A report by the Wall Street Journal alleges that Ukrainian military officers planned to blow up the Nord Stream pipeline in May 2022 as a response to halting Russia’s invasion of the country. The plan, which was concocted during a celebratory night, involved a small Ukrainian crew disguised as a pleasure boat cruise, costing around $300,000 and approved by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Despite the US intelligence agency CIA urging him to halt the operation, the commander-in-chief, Valeriy Zaluzhniy, proceeded with the sabotage, according to the report. The sources for the article, which Euronews could not independently verify, considered the pipelines as a legitimate target to defend against Russia.
The Wall Street Journal claimed to have spoken to four senior Ukrainian defense and security officials who had direct knowledge of the plot, with portions of their accounts being corroborated by a German investigation. However, German intelligence officials doubt Ukraine’s involvement and suggest that the operation may have been a “false flag” by Russia, a theory supported by Polish authorities who sent the names of Russian suspects to Germany. The first arrest warrant in the Nord Stream attack investigation was reportedly issued for a man named Volodymyr Z., who had already returned to Ukraine from Poland by the time authorities attempted to apprehend him. Two other suspects, Svitlana and Yevhen Uspenska, who run a diving school in Ukraine, denied any involvement in the attack due to their limited diving depth compared to the explosion depth.
The Nord Stream pipeline is a network of pipelines under the Baltic Sea that provides Western Europe with natural gas from Russia, contributing billions to the Kremlin’s finances. The Ukrainian operation aimed to further weaken Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, with the sabotage reportedly being approved by President Zelensky. Despite the CIA’s recommendation to stop the plan, the operation was carried out by the commander-in-chief, Valeriy Zaluzhniy, according to the Wall Street Journal report. However, German intelligence officials and Polish authorities doubt Ukraine’s involvement, suggesting the possibility of Russia conducting a “false flag” operation to frame Ukraine for the sabotage.
German media reported that prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Volodymyr Z., the alleged perpetrator of the Nord Stream pipeline attack, despite his return to Ukraine from Poland. Two other suspects, Svitlana and Yevhen Uspenska, who own a diving school in Ukraine, denied any involvement in the operation, citing their maximum diving depth limitations. The Polish prosecutor’s office revealed that German authorities failed to enter Volodymyr Z.’s name into the wanted database, allowing him to evade arrest at the Polish-Ukrainian border. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Ukrainian crew behind the sabotage disguised themselves as a pleasure boat cruise, with the operation costing approximately $300,000 and being approved by President Zelensky before being carried out by the commander-in-chief.
The Wall Street Journal’s claims about a Ukrainian planned sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline in May 2022 have raised doubts among German and Polish authorities regarding Ukraine’s involvement in the attack. Despite the report alleging the scheme was concocted by Ukrainian military officers to deal another blow to Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, German intelligence officials and Polish authorities suspect the possibility of a “false flag” operation by Russia instead. The arrest warrant issued for a suspect named Volodymyr Z., who had already returned to Ukraine, highlights the complexities of the investigation into the Nord Stream attack and the differing perspectives on the alleged Ukrainian involvement. The denial of the two other suspects, Svitlana and Yevhen Uspenska, regarding their role in the attack adds further confusion to the situation as authorities continue to investigate the sabotage of the gas pipeline.
