Nord Stream, the Washington Post gets Ukraine right: here are those responsible for the sabotage

Ukraine’s participation in the attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea. As revealed by the Washington Post, Ukrainian and European officials confirm that a high-ranking Ukrainian military officer with deep intelligence ties was a key figure in coordinating last year’s controversial gas pipeline attack. Roman Chervinsky, a 48-year-old decorated colonel with experience in the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces, was identified as the “coordinator” of the operation: he handled logistics and support for a team of six who carried out sabotage using a sailboat and deep diving equipment. The attack, which took place on September 26, 2022, caused three explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, severely affecting the flow of gas from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. This act of sabotage raised concern among North American and Western authorities, who considered it a dangerous attack on Europe’s energy infrastructure. At first, responsibility was attributed to Russia due to the war, but serious doubts about this reconstruction immediately arose.

Anonymous sources tell the Post that Chervinsky received orders from high-ranking Ukrainian officials, with General Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s top military officer, overseeing the entire operation. This revelation sheds light on the complex internal dynamics and rivalries of the Ukrainian government during the war. Ukraine, which has long been involved in covert operations against Russian forces, has frequently criticized the Nord Stream project, arguing that it would allow Russia to bypass Ukrainian gas pipelines, depriving the country of significant revenue from gas transit.

Chervinsky, through his lawyer, denied the accusations, claiming that all speculation about his involvement is propagated by Russian propaganda and has no basis. Chervinsky’s participation in the Nord Stream attack contradicts Zelensky’s public denials of his country’s involvement. “I am the president and I give orders accordingly,” Zelensky said at a press conference in June, responding to a Post report that the US Central Intelligence Agency had become aware of Ukraine’s plans before the attack. “Ukraine did nothing like that. I would never act this way”, words from Kiev’s number one. But Operation Nord Stream was designed to keep Zelensky out of the plans. “Everyone involved in the planning and execution reported directly to Zaluzhnyy, so Zelensky would not have been aware of this,” according to an intelligence report obtained by the CIA that was reportedly shared by Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. , on the chat platform Discord. Officials from several countries have said privately that they are certain that Zelensky did not personally approve the attack on Nord Stream.