U.S. officials reportedly believe that new intelligence from the September 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage suggests a pro-Ukrainian group was responsible for the attack.
This news lends credence to the suspicions of many who believed from the start that Ukraine served to benefit from the attack, despite many in the legacy media immediately suggesting Russia was involved. However, it is apparently still not clear whether government entities ordered it.
The New York Times report notes that U.S. officials claim there is no evidence of a direct authorization of the sabotage from President Volodymyr Zelensky or the Ukrainian government.
The bombshell report comes weeks after Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh said that the United States was responsible in a February Substack post. Hersh laughed off the new statements from U.S. officials, apparently saying, “They can’t be that stupid.”
Seymour Hersh reacts to the NYT report that a "pro-Ukrainian group" carried out the Nord Stream attacks.
"What!? That can't be true. They can't be that stupid. Are they that stupid?"pic.twitter.com/rtcWuuJAGR
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 8, 2023
The pro-Ukrainian group plotting their next move pic.twitter.com/2ZH66Cnph5
— Dave DeCamp (@DecampDave) March 7, 2023
If the Ukrainian or American governments had anything to do with the attack, it would represent a major international scandal with far-reaching implications. The Nord Stream pipeline brings Germany, a prominent NATO member, a critical supply of natural gas from Russia, and according to Just The News, repairs are expected to cost $500 million.
NATO has reportedly “determined the attack was the result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage,” but Russia isn’t satisfied by the findings, especially considering they have not been allowed to participate in the investigations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reportedly told Russian media that he believes it is a “monstrous crime” to leave Russia out of this critical investigation.
In his statement, Peskov called for transparency.
“The very least that the Nord Stream shareholder countries and the United Nations must demand is an urgent, transparent investigation with the participation of everyone who can shed light,” Peskov said.
“We are still not allowed in the investigation,” he said. “This is not just strange. It smells like a monstrous crime.”
American officials said there is still plenty to be discovered with regard to the investigation, but signs point towards a pro-Ukraine, anti-Putin entity.
