Ukrainian President Denies Involvement in Nord Stream Bombings amid Increasing Speculation

Zelensky said in an interview with the German newspaper “Bild” that, as the country’s president, he has the power to issue orders.

“I’ve never done anything like that. I never would have done that,” he added.

“I think our military and our intelligence services did nothing of the sort,” Zelensky said, adding, “I would like to see evidence.”

And the Ukrainian president confirmed that “we have absolutely no knowledge of this.”

Ukrainian involvement in the Nord Stream bombings

• The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that a European intelligence agency had informed the CIA that it was aware of a Ukrainian special operations team’s plan to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
• The report indicated that information was received three months ago that explosions caused damage to the network last year.
• The newspaper reported US intelligence information that was believed to have been leaked by a computer expert employed by the National Air Guard who had access to many classified and highly classified materials.
• The leaked documents indicated that an unnamed European intelligence agency informed the CIA in June 2022, four months after the Russian military operation in Ukraine, that Ukrainian military divers working directly under the country’s commander-in-chief were planning the attack.
• On September 26, the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines designed to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany suffered underwater explosions, putting them out of service and depriving Russia of potential billions of dollars in revenue.
• The seemingly disruptive operation sparked a regional emergency, cutting off essential energy supplies from Europe while oil prices skyrocketed as a result of the war.
• Several countries, including Russia, the United States and Ukraine, were accused, but all denied involvement in the bombings.