Explosive new details on the Nord Stream explosion: A US report reports that opponents of Putin could be behind the sabotage.
Washington, DC/Bornholm - Who is responsible for blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines?
After a report of a targeted explosion by the US military, pro-Ukrainian groups are now being targeted.
According to
the New York Times,
there is corresponding intelligence information.
New details on the Nord Stream blast: pro-Ukrainian group responsible?
US officials said they had no evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or his support staff were involved in the operation or that the perpetrators acted on orders from Ukrainian government officials.
However, new findings at least indicated that opponents of Vladimir Putin were responsible for the attack.
According to the
New York Times
, US officials conceded that much was still unclear - such as who exactly carried out the demolitions, who ordered them and who financed the operation.
However, citing anonymous US intelligence agencies, it said there was a possibility that the operation was carried out unofficially by a proxy force with ties to the Ukrainian government or its security services.
Where these findings come from remains unclear.
Officials who reviewed the intelligence told the
NY Times
that the saboteurs were most likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals, or a combination of both.
Furthermore, neither American nor British nationals were involved.
The explosive devices were most likely planted with the help of experienced divers who did not appear to work for the military or intelligence agency, US officials said.
However, it is possible that the perpetrators received special government training in the past.
The Ukrainian government and secret service, in turn, said they played no role in the attack and do not know who carried it out.
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The gas leak in the Baltic Sea near Bornholm at the end of September.
© Danish Defense Command/dpa
Explosions in Nord Stream pipelines: Sweden assumes sabotage
In September, explosions in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark in the Baltic Sea caused several leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which were built to transport Russian gas to Germany.
The pipelines were not operating at the time of the explosions but contained gas.
According to Sweden, sabotage is behind the incident.
Accordingly, explosive residues were detected.
There has been much speculation as to who is behind the alleged sabotage.
One of the suspects was Russia itself, although it was unclear why the government in Moscow should blow up pipelines intended for the export of Russian natural gas.
The Russian government has denied any responsibility and pointed the finger at Washington.
The US government had opposed the construction of Nord Stream 2 and condemned the project as geopolitical leverage for the Kremlin.
At the beginning of February, the well-known US investigative reporter Seymour Hersh caused a sensation with a report according to which the USA is said to have blown up the pipelines.
In June, US Navy divers planted explosive devices on the gas pipelines with the help of Norway in a covert operation ordered by the White House and planned by the US foreign intelligence agency CIA.
The explosive devices were then remotely detonated in September.
The US government has firmly denied this.
"This is completely false and a complete fabrication," said US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson.
Independent fact-checkers have pointed out inconsistencies in the Hersh report.
The journalist did not publish the report in a major medium but on his blog.
The 85-year-old also only refers to an anonymous source.
In the
NY Times
report, too, secret service employees only speak under the cloak of anonymity.
(as/AFP)
