Ukrainian officer orchestrated attack on Nord Stream pipeline

No one has been held responsible for the September 2022 explosion, which occurred off the Danish island of Bornholm and ruptured three of the four pipelines in Russia's gas supply system to Europe.

Washington Post Ukraine Officer Nord Stream Attack Picture 1 — A leaking site of the Nord Stream pipeline. Photo: Reuters

The US and NATO called it an act of sabotage, while Russia said it was an act of international terrorism.

The Washington Post reported that Roman Chervinsky, a former intelligence officer who served in the Ukrainian military’s special forces, was behind the incident. However, he denied any involvement. The Ukrainian military said it had “no information” about the claim.

The newspaper also reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has denied Kiev’s role in the explosion, claimed to have no knowledge of the operation. Mr Zelenskyy last week replaced the head of Ukraine’s special forces.

Germany, Denmark and Sweden have opened an investigation into the Nord Stream explosion, which sent methane gas into the atmosphere in a leak that lasted several days.

Chervinsky is now under arrest for exceeding his authority following a 2022 attempt to persuade a Russian pilot to defect to Ukraine, which investigators say led to a deadly Russian attack on a Ukrainian air base.

An outspoken critic of Mr Zelenskyy's administration, Chervinsky said the case against him was politically motivated and that he had followed orders in that operation.

The Washington Post and Germany's Der Spiegel collaborated to report and publish their own articles about the incident, and agreed to publish them simultaneously.

Huy Hoang (WP, Der Spiegel, Reuters)

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