BERLIN, February 19. /TASS/. The perpetrators behind the explosions of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines allegedly defied US warnings and proceeded without Washington’s approval, Der Spiegel magazine reported.
Citing anonymous sources, the publication says that the US government allegedly attempted to prevent the sabotage, with a CIA representative based in Kiev reportedly demanding that Ukrainian presidential aides cancel the operation. High-ranking military officials, including the office of then-Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny, are said to have recognized that the pipeline destruction plans had been uncovered.
Despite these warnings, the magazine asserts, the sabotage group persisted in their actions independently of US consent. Der Spiegel further claims that the saboteurs received private funding from Ukraine.
Previously, the magazine reported that the CIA was aware early on of the sabotage plans and had engaged in discussions with the perpetrators, allegedly opposing the operation. The CIA has vehemently denied these allegations, with a spokesperson dismissing Der Spiegel’s account as completely and utterly false and asserting that the magazine’s investigation is extremely inaccurate and unreliable.
