On September 26, 2022, a sharp drop in pressure was recorded in the pipelines under the Baltic Sea and seismologists detected explosions, triggering a wave of speculation about who sabotaged the multi-billion dollar project that transported Russian gas to Germany.
So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the explosions that occurred off the Danish island of Bornholm and damaged three of the system’s four lines.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Ukraine’s top military commander had approved the attack on the gas pipelines in 2022, despite the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) warning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky not to carry out the attack.
“They want to shift all responsibility onto their Ukrainian puppets,” Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said in a statement about Nord Stream. “We will try to identify the real perpetrators of the bombing and punish them.”
Russia has repeatedly claimed that the attack on Nord Stream was carried out by the US and Britain. Washington and London have rejected these allegations.
02:00
‘Powerful explosions’ caused leaks in Nord Stream, say Danish authorities
‘Powerful explosions’ caused leaks in Nord Stream, say Danish authorities
The New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal reported that Ukraine – which has repeatedly denied involvement – was behind the attack.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak denied his country’s involvement on Thursday and pointed the finger at Russia.
Antonov said Ukraine would not attack Nord Stream without a “wink” from Washington.
“In fact, we are talking about an implicit legitimization of terrorism, even when it comes to the territory of the allies,” Antonov said.
The explosions occurred in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. Both countries said the explosions were deliberate but have not yet publicly announced who was responsible. These countries and Germany are currently investigating.
