President Zelensky is suspected of having known about the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines. Investigators have been trying to find those responsible for almost two years.
According to a report, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky knew about the attack plans on the Nord Stream pipelines. This was reported by the (WSJ) citing several unnamed sources in the military apparatus.
“I always laugh when I read speculation in the media about a huge operation involving intelligence services, submarines, drones and satellites,” said a Ukrainian officer who claims to have been involved in the plot. “The whole thing was born out of a night of drinking and the iron determination of a handful of people who had the courage to risk their lives for their country.”
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However, the Ukrainian government denied any involvement in the sabotage against Nord Stream. Rather, it is very likely that Russia was responsible for the September 2022 attack, President Zelensky’s adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told the Reuters news agency.
Wall Street Journal investigation reveals attack plans by Ukrainian officials
According to the WSJ report, the idea of blowing up the gas pipelines – as a blow against Russian President Vladimir Putin – came up at a meeting of Ukrainian military and businessmen just a few months after the start of the large-scale Russian invasion in 2022. Just a few months later, three explosive devices caused massive damage to the pipes on the seabed. According to the WSJ report, a total of six people were directly involved in the operation and the cost was around 300,000 US dollars. The plan was financed with private funds.
Selenskyj tried to stop attack
In the run-up to the attack, Ukrainian President Zelensky is said to have approved the plans. However, the CIA later got wind of the plans and warned Zelensky against carrying out such a strike, it is said.
According to several Ukrainian officers and officials, Zelensky then ordered the then Chief of General Staff Valery Zalushny to stop the operation. However, the general ignored the order; his team instead adapted the original plan. The mission was apparently led by former intelligence officer Roman Chervynsky, who reported directly to Zalushny. Chervynsky himself did not want to comment on the allegations. Zalushny stated that he knew nothing about such an operation. RTL/ntv’s research partly coincides with that of the WSJ.
General Saluschnyj ignored orders
After the attack in September 2022, Zelensky reportedly confronted his chief of general staff. But Zalushny is said to have shrugged off the criticism. The general told Zelensky that once the sabotage team was deployed, they could no longer communicate because any contact with them would have jeopardized the operation.
“He was told it was like a torpedo – once you fire it at the enemy, you can’t pull it back, it just keeps going until it goes ‘boom,'” a senior officer told the WSJ about the conversation between the president and his top military officer.
According to the report, there is no written evidence of the operation. For security reasons, everything was only discussed verbally between Ukrainian officials.
This article first appeared on ntv.de
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
