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A Ukrainian military man coordinated the explosions of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines last year. This is stated by the media companies Washington Post and Der Spiegel.
The man is said to have led a group of six people who participated in the sabotage by, among other things, renting sailboats to reach the area in the Baltic Sea.
The respected American newspaper Washington Post and the German magazine der Spiegel have jointly reviewed the sabotage of the gas pipelines; in a joint publication, they name a 48-year-old Ukrainian soldier from the country’s special forces as the coordinator.
Boats and diving equipment
He was the one who coordinated the effort, according to sources in Ukraine and in several other countries in Europe with insight into the bombings of the two media companies.
The group hired boats and diving equipment under false names in order to plant explosives on the pipelines that transport gas from Russia to Europe. Three out of four lines leaked after the explosions.
The designated man did not plan the operation and did not act on his own, but received orders from a higher place, writes the Washington Post. The man denies involvement through his lawyer, who says all speculation about involvement comes from Russian propaganda.
Scattered suspicions have been directed at Russia, at Ukraine and also at the United States for having been behind the sabotage.
Zelenskyy was kept in the dark
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently denied Ukrainian involvement in the blasts. The Washington Post writes that the president was deliberately kept out of the planning.
Media have previously reported that a German sailboat was moored in Blekinge twelve days before the explosion, and that traces of explosives were found on board by German investigators.
The person named by the media companies is currently on trial in Kiev, accused of abusing his powers when he tried to get a Russian pilot to defect. The accused claims that the trial is retaliation for his criticism of President Zelenskyi.