Nord Stream explosions: US officials say intelligence indicates pro-Ukrainian group sabotaged pipelines

New intelligence reviewed by officials in the United States suggests that a pro-Ukraine group attacked the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September last year, according to the New York Times.

The US officials said they had no evidence that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or other Ukrainian government officials were involved in the pipeline bombings.

The explosions on the pipelines connecting Russia and Germany happened on September 26 in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. Both countries have concluded the blasts were deliberate but have not said who might be responsible.

The US and NATO have called the pipeline attacks “an act of sabotage,” while Moscow has blamed the West. Neither side has provided evidence.

The new intelligence reviewed by US officials suggested the perpetrators behind the sabotage were “opponents of President Vladimir Putin of Russia”. The Times reported, but did not specify the members of the group and who organised and paid for the operation, which would have required skilled divers and explosives experts.

Denmark, Germany and Sweden, who have taken the lead in investigating the attack, said last month that their investigations had not yet concluded.

The Times said any suggestion of Ukrainian involvement, whether direct or indirect, could upset the delicate relationship between Ukraine and Germany. “souring support among a German public that has swallowed high energy prices in the name of solidarity”.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson declined to comment on the report during a news conference in Stockholm.

The White House condemned Hersh’s report, which cited an unnamed source, as “complete fiction”.