The Ukrainian presidency on Thursday described as “absolute nonsense” its accusation in the September 2022 sabotage of the Russian Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, following press reports to that effect.
THE Wall Street Journal claimed that former Ukrainian chief of staff Valery Zaluzhny oversaw the plan to blow up pipelines that were still supplying European gas with Russian gas at that time, despite Russian troops invading Ukraine from February 24, 2022.
“Ukraine’s involvement in the Nord Stream explosions is absolute nonsense. These actions had no practical interest for Ukraine,” presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak told AFP in response to the article in the American daily.
According to the Wall Street JournalUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was reportedly aware of the project before reversing course and calling for it to be stopped.
The presidential spokesman noted that Ukraine’s involvement in the sabotage “could have put an end” to the assistance provided to kyiv by “European partners.” However, he described Moscow’s motives in destroying the gas pipelines as “obvious.”
“Russia considered it necessary to discredit Ukraine in a conjunctural manner, in order to reduce its diplomatic, emotional and informational influence on the European community,” he argued, even if it meant “losing the commercial opportunities of Nord Stream.”
The claims of the Wall Street Journal The news comes a day after German press reports that the judicial investigation into the sabotage in Germany was being focused on Ukraine, with an arrest warrant recently issued for a professional diver from that country.
“Like a torpedo”
A total of six people were directly involved in this spectacular and unprecedented operation, according to the Wall Street Journalat a cost of approximately US$300,000, all financed by private money.
“Volodymyr Zelensky had initially approved the plan, according to an officer involved in it and three who knew about it,” the American newspaper wrote. “But then, when the CIA got wind of it and asked to stop it, he ordered it to be stopped,” it continued.
Valery Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army at the time, allegedly ignored the order and his team changed the initial plan, the newspaper claims.
Contacted by the Wall Street JournalMr Zaluzhny, who has since been appointed Ukraine’s ambassador to London, said in a written exchange that he had no knowledge of such an operation, and called any claims to the contrary a “provocation”.
After asking to stop the operation, Mr Zelensky reportedly demanded an explanation from Mr Zaluzhny, the newspaper said, citing three people familiar with the exchange.
The latter replied that it was too late, stating that it was no longer possible to communicate with the sabotage team, because any contact could have endangered the operation.
“It has been said [à M. Zelensky]it’s like a torpedo, once you throw it at the enemy, you can’t get it back, it keeps going until it goes ‘boom’,” describes a senior officer informed of this conversation, quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
The German media, which revealed the recent progress of the judicial investigation, are much more cautious about the involvement of the high Ukrainian authorities and tend, on the contrary, to exonerate President Zelensky at least.
The weekly The Mirror On the other hand, it suggests a possible involvement of Valery Zaloujny.