Pro-Ukrainian group blew up Nord Stream-U. S. Intelligence
2023.03.07 13:44
Pro-Ukrainian group blew up Nord Stream-U. S. Intelligence
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – The New York Times reported on Tuesday that new intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials suggests that the attack on the Nord Stream energy pipelines last year was carried out by a pro-Ukrainian group, probably made up of Ukrainian or Russian citizens. However, the intelligence did not reach any definitive conclusions.
According to the newspaper, which cited officials from the United States, there was no evidence that the natural gas leaks and explosions in the Baltic Sea were caused by the Ukrainian government or President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine.
John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House (NYSE: On Tuesday, KEX) informed reporters that Washington was awaiting the conclusion of ongoing investigations in Germany, Sweden, and Denmark.
“We do believe that it is an act of sabotage, and the president has stated this.” “However, we need to wait for these investigations to finish, and it is only then that we should consider what subsequent actions might or might not be appropriate,” Kirby stated.
On Tuesday, Germany stated that while it had taken note of the report from the New York Times, its own investigation had not yet yielded any results.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior aide to Zelenskiy, stated on Tuesday that Kyiv had no knowledge of the events and was “absolutely not involved” in the blasts. Delegates for Moscow couldn’t be quickly reached.
The Sept. 26, 2022, attacks on the pipelines have been described as “an act of sabotage” by NATO and the United States, while Moscow has blamed the West. There is no evidence from either side.
Gazprom, a state-owned company in Russia (MCX: GAZP), the Nord Stream pipelines were constructed to transport natural gas beneath the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. However, Nord Stream was not operational when the explosions destroyed three of the four pipelines because of disagreements between Russia and the European Union regarding Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Times wrote, “but does not specify the members of the group, or who directed or paid for the operation.” The intelligence review suggests that those who carried out the attacks were against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The nature of the intelligence, the method by which it was obtained, or any specifics regarding the strength of the evidence it contains were withheld by U.S. officials. They have stated that no firm conclusions can be drawn about it,” it continued, citing unidentified officials.
“Officials who looked over the information said they thought the saboteurs were probably Ukrainian or Russian, or a mix of the two. According to the Times report, “U.S. officials said no Americans or Brits were involved.”
A draft resolution that Russia submitted to the 15-member United Nations Security Council last month would, if approved, call for an international investigation to determine who was responsible.
Russia’s Agent U.N. Diplomat Dmitry Polyanskiy said the New York Times report “just demonstrates that our drive on sending off a global examination under the protection of the U.N. Secretary-General is ideal.”
Polyanskiy stated on Tuesday, “There will absolutely be a vote by the end of March.”
Europe has drastically reduced its energy imports from Russia in the year since the invasion. This week, Moscow demanded that all parties involved in Nord Stream decide its fate.
One of Nord Stream’s shareholders, German energy company E.ON, declined to comment. The explosions took place in international waters near Denmark and Sweden’s economic zones.
