US has intelligence about Ukraine attacking Nord Stream

The CIA learned last June through a European intelligence agency that a six-man Ukrainian special forces group intended to blow up the gas pipeline project linking Russia and Germany, the newspaper reported.

A leaking site of the Nord Stream pipeline. Photo: Reuters

The intelligence was shared online on the social network Discord by Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, who was arrested in April and charged in connection with the leak of sensitive US documents. The Washington Post said it received a copy from one of Teixeira's online friends.

The intelligence was based on information provided by a person in Ukraine, the article said, adding that the CIA was shared with intelligence from Germany and other European countries in June 2022.

The WP said officials in multiple countries confirmed that the intelligence brief posted on Discord accurately outlined the information the European agency provided to the CIA.

White House spokesman John Kirby said on Monday that investigations into the Nord Stream attack were ongoing. “The last thing we want to do in this position is conduct those investigations,” Kirby said when asked about the WP article.

The New York Times reported in early March that US officials had received new intelligence suggesting a “pro-Ukrainian group” was responsible for the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. However, the newspaper said US officials had no evidence that the incident was linked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, each consisting of two pipelines, are being built by Russian state-controlled Gazprom to pump 110 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year to Germany.

The WP said it had agreed to keep secret the name of the European intelligence source as well as some details of the plan at the request of government officials, citing risks to the intelligence sources.

As is known, several underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and the newly built Nord Stream 2 pipelines connecting Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea in September 2022.

The explosions occurred in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. Both countries said the explosions were intentional, but it is not yet clear who is responsible. Those countries and Germany are still investigating the incident.

The US and NATO called the incident an "act of sabotage". Russia has blamed the West, accusing investigators of dragging their feet and trying to hide who was behind the attack.

Hoang Anh (according to WP, NYT, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/washington-post-my-co-thong-tin-tinh-bao-ve-ke-hoach-ukraine-tan-cong-nord-stream-post250624.html