Nord Stream blast

Kiev’s ex-army chief is said to have approved sabotage

Gas flowed to Germany through one of the pipelines.(Bild: AFP/SWEDISH COAST GUARD)

The sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines two years ago is said to have been authorized by Ukraine's then commander-in-chief, according to information obtained by Der Spiegel. He wants to know nothing about the operation ...

The operation in the Baltic Sea cost almost 300,000 US dollars and was privately financed, but was presented to Valery Salushnyi for authorization, the magazine reported, citing its own research. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, on the other hand, was not informed in advance, it said.

Ukraine and the USA, along with other countries, were staunch opponents of the pipelines, which were severely damaged by explosive devices. Russian gas had flowed through one pipeline to Germany, the other was not yet in operation.

Ex-commander wants to know nothing about it
Salushnyj, now Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, had already told the "Wall Street Journal" ("WSJ") that he knew nothing about such an operation. In August, the WSJ reported that Salushnyi was involved in the operation, citing its own research. In the past, President Zelensky has always denied his government's involvement in the sabotage actions.

Der Spiegel also reported that the sabotage commando consisted of several Ukrainian divers, almost all of them civilians. The operation was planned and led by the Ukrainian ex-intelligence officer Roman Chervinsky. Chervinsky had already denied involvement to the Washington Post and Der Spiegel last year.

What happened?
At the end of September 2022, several explosions damaged and disrupted the two gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2. The explosions were recorded near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Shortly afterwards, four leaks were discovered in three of the four Nord Stream pipelines.

Russian natural gas had previously flowed to Germany through Nord Stream 1. Nord Stream 2 was not yet in operation due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the subsequent political debates.

Ukrainians under suspicion
In mid-August of this year, it became known that the German Federal Prosecutor General was looking for a Ukrainian in the case who had allegedly fled from Poland to his home country. "Die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung and ARD reported that the man and two other Ukrainian nationals - a man and a woman - were suspected of the crime.

According to the reports, they are said to have been involved in the attacks. They could have been divers who planted the explosive devices on the pipelines, it was further reported. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office did not wish to comment on the media reports when asked.