Ukraine’s top general consents Nord Stream assault


(MENAFN) A recent report by German weekly Der Spiegel claims to identify the divers behind the September 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream undersea gas pipelines, suggesting that the operation was funded by private Ukrainian sources and sanctioned by General Valery Zaluzhny, who is now Ukraine's ambassador to the UK. This investigation coincides with the upcoming second anniversary of the high-profile attack, which has yet to yield an official culprit from German authorities.

According to Der Spiegel, a group of Ukrainian divers, reportedly operating from the yacht Andromeda, executed the bombing. Central to this narrative is intelligence officer Roman Chervinsky, who is under investigation in Ukraine for an unrelated matter and is alleged to have masterminded the plot. At the time of the attack, Zaluzhny was the commander in chief of the Ukrainian armed forces and is said to have authorized the operation, although President Vladimir Zelensky was reportedly either unaware of it or unable to intervene in time.

Tensions between Zaluzhny and Zelensky escalated to the point where the president dismissed the general in February following a public disagreement over military strategy. Zaluzhny has since denied any involvement in the Nord Stream incident.

While Der Spiegel claims to have detailed information about those directly involved, it has not disclosed their identities. The report suggests that most divers were experienced civilians accustomed to working at significant depths and that the operation had been contemplated well before the escalation of conflict between Ukraine and Russia in February 2022. This emerging narrative raises complex questions about the covert operations conducted in the context of the ongoing war, further complicating international perceptions of Ukraine's military strategies.

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