New intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials suggests a pro-Ukrainian group was behind the Nord Stream pipeline attack in September, according to a report.
no evidence Ukraine’s president or anyone else Kyiv According to the New York Times, officials are behind the attack that released gas into the Baltic Sea, but there is no firm conclusion yet.
But the paper, citing U.S. officials, said the culprit was likely Russian or Ukrainian nationals who opposed vladimir putin’s course of treatment.
Speculation over who was responsible has raged for months after the explosions that affected the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which transport Russian gas to Germany.
A U.S. intelligence review identified those who carried out the attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin “but did not specify members of the group, or who directed or paid for the operation,” according to The New York Times.
“Officials reviewing intelligence said they believed the saboteurs were likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals, or some combination of the two. U.S. officials said no U.S. or British nationals were involved,” the newspaper reported.
Ukrainian officials have denied that Kiev had any involvement in the blast.
Russia has repeatedly denied involvement and blamed the West, while us NATO called the pipeline attack an “act of sabotage”.
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investigators from Sweden and Denmark – in whose exclusive economic zone the explosion occurred – said the rupture was the result of sabotage, but did not say who they believe was responsible.
Last month they said their investigation was not over.
On Tuesday, the US and UK said they were awaiting the results of those investigations, with White House spokesman John Kirby adding “only then should we consider what follow-up actions may or may not be appropriate”.
Germany said on Tuesday it had taken note of the New York Times report, but its own investigation was pending.
senior assistant Volodymyr ZelenskyMykhailo Podolyak said Kiev had “absolutely no involvement” in the blast and did not know what happened.
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Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 consist of two pipelines each, built by Russian state-controlled Gazprom to transport gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
But due to friction between Russia and the EU moscow invades ukraineNord Stream was not running when the explosion destroyed three of the four pipelines.
Three of the four pipes ruptured in an unexplained explosion in September, and one of the Nord Stream 2 pipes remains
Intact.