According to the Wall Street Journal, the CIA reportedly warned the Ukrainian government last summer not to attack the Nord Stream gas pipelines after it obtained in-depth knowledge of a Ukrainian plot to sabotage a key energy link between Russia and Europe, according to officials familiar with the exchange.
However, the pipelines were hit a few weeks later, on September 26. Ukraine has categorically denied any involvement in the attack on the pipelines.
According to those familiar with the situation, the initial intelligence indicated that the sabotage team reported to Ukrainian Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhniy, the head of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In a recent interview with the German newspaper Bild, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “I believe that our military and our intelligence did not do it, and when anyone claims the opposite, I would like them to show us the evidence.”
Has the CIA warned Kyiv against the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines or is Washington pushing Ukraine under the bus?
Kevork Almassian is an award-winning political commentator from Syria. He is the founder of Syriana Analysis and is known for his contribution to the literature on the Syrian war.