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U.S. Probes Whether Pro-Ukraine Group Had Role in Nord Stream Explosions
Western officials no longer suspect Russia of ordering alleged attack against undersea gas pipelines
Alles anzeigen[...] Initially, German officials said they believed Russia was the most likely culprit, in part because the explosions had left a single strand of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline intact. Russia had been pushing Germany to certify Nord Stream 2 so that it could start operating. The explosions left it as the only direct natural-gas link between Germany and Russia.
Despite these initial suspicions, the investigations never ruled out Ukraine, according to people familiar with the probes. In the U.S., the administration fears that a conclusion that pro-Ukrainian operatives sabotaged the pipeline could rattle the NATO alliance, and in particular Germany’s relationship with Ukraine, the official said.
Between June and July 2022, months before the Nord Stream attack, the Central Intelligence Agency sent out a warning to its German counterpart, the BND, as well as other European services, that a group might be preparing an attack on the pipeline, according to intelligence officials familiar with the notification.
The warning included information about three Ukrainian nationals who were trying to rent out ships in countries bordering the Baltic Sea, including Sweden, these officials said.
As early as October, U.S. officials such as CIA chief William Burns and national security adviser Jake Sullivan were considering the possibility—among others—that Ukraine was behind the attack, according to a person who spoke with both men at the time, without saying on what this assessment was based. The CIA declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the National Security Council on Wednesday disputed as inaccurate the characterization of Mr. Sullivan.[...]
The U.S. doesn’t think Russia sabotaged the pipeline, a U.S. official said this week, while cautioning that the investigations are continuing.
While neither Russia nor Ukraine would have an obvious motive for ordering the raid—or one sufficient to offset the potential diplomatic risks—Western experts said both had the capacity to conduct such an operation. A former Ukrainian intelligence chief who had been involved in organizing special operations abroad echoed the assessment, saying that Ukraine was capable of conducting the raid. [...]
Bisher war immer nur die Rede von einem nicht weiter spezifiziertenn westlichen Geheimdienst. Das ist meines Wissens das erste mal, dass die CIA in einem Qualitätsmedium als Quelle für die Warnung vor möglichen ukrainischen Tätern konkret genannt wird (auch wenn man sich das natürlich längst zusammen reimen konnte.)
