Officials in Germany and the US are cautioning against premature speculation about who is behind the explosion of the mysterious Nord Stream gas pipeline, after new reports citing intelligence sources suggested a pro-Ukrainian group could be behind the attack.
The newspaper “New York Times U.S. intelligence officials said Tuesday that “a pro-Ukrainian group carried out the attack by ‘citizens of Ukraine or Russia’ but do not believe ‘that the perpetrators acted on orders from Ukrainian government officials,'” the report said. Details Anonymous Sources.
US officials did not disclose “the nature of the information, how it was obtained, or details of the strength of the evidence” and said there were still “vast gaps” in Western intelligence knowledge of the events leading up to the bombings. On September 26, the main artery carrying Russian gas to Europe was cut.
Also on Tuesday, German media reported new details of an investigation by German authorities that will shed new light on how the plot was carried out.
The attack was carried out using a yacht rented from a company in Poland, owned by citizens of Ukraine. Time the newspaper reported. A team of six was present, including “a captain, two divers, two diving team assistants, and a paramedic who allegedly delivered and planted explosives to the scene.”
The agents reportedly used fake passports and their nationality is unknown. Traces of explosives were found on the ship, but German investigators did not rule out that they were planted under a “false flag” to mislead the investigators.
German officials confirmed on Wednesday that the ship had been searched in connection with the explosion, confirming part of the report.
“There is a suspicion that the ship was intended to transport explosives that exploded on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines on September 26, 2022,” the prosecutor’s office said. Associated Press. “Assessment of the confiscated traces and objects continues… The identity of the perpetrators and their motives are the subject of ongoing investigations.”
Ukraine categorically denies any knowledge or involvement. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted: “Ukraine has nothing to do with the accident in the Baltic Sea and has no information about “pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups.”
Federal Foreign Minister Boris Pistorius also appears to have downplayed the messages. “It could just as well have been a false flag operation aimed at blaming Ukraine,” he said. “The chances of one or the other are equal.”
White House spokesman John Kirby said more time is needed for a final withdrawal. “We need to complete these investigations, and only then should we see what follow-up actions are appropriate or not,” he told reporters.
Russian officials and media denied the testimony of US intelligence officials.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the “coordinated” actions of “the perpetrators of the attack … to divert attention.”
Russian journalist Ruslan Ostashko ridiculed the American account. “According to some US intelligence sources, an unnamed pro-Ukrainian group of citizens of Russia and Ukraine, without the knowledge of the Ukrainian authorities, rented ships, deep-sea divers and explosives, blew up two pipes without the knowledge of the world, and then simply disappeared. “, he wrote on Telegram.
Russian officials are promoting an alternative version of events, reported by seasoned American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, who wrote in an article on blogging platform Substack that the attack on the pipeline was a conspiracy by the US government and the Norwegian government.
Mr. Hersh reported claims by an anonymous intelligence source that he described months of planning for a mission in which divers attached C4 explosives to a pipeline and then activated it with a sonar signal during a NATO exercise in the Baltic Sea.
This version has been debunked by open source researchers who claim the details are inconsistent with shipping data in the area and has been denied by the White House and the Norwegian government.
Explosions on the pipeline between Russia and Germany occurred in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. The explosions are believed to have been deliberate and an investigation is under way to identify those responsible.
Last month, Denmark, Germany and Sweden said their investigations were ongoing, but last month Germany said there was no evidence yet of Russian involvement. The US and UK said Tuesday they are awaiting the outcome of these investigations.
Source: I News
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.