German authorities were tipped off months before the attack detailing a Ukrainian plot to blow up the Nord Stream pipeline, but the warnings were ignored and no precautions were taken, the investigation alleges. I am doing it.
In what could be seen as a major intelligence failure by the German state, the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has reportedly received information about a Ukrainian plot to destroy energy import infrastructure・It is alleged that no preparations were made to prevent attacks on the pipeline. .
According to report from germany der spiegel According to the news magazine, the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) received a top secret encrypted cable from Dutch military intelligence in June 2022, which was also reportedly shared with the CIA, and revealed that the then-chief commander of the Ukrainian military, Valery warned of a conspiracy organized by President Zarzhni plans to send six Ukrainian special forces traveling under false identities, rent boats, dive to the bottom of the Baltic Sea and blow up the pipeline.
Intelligence agencies indicated that the sabotage was scheduled to take place during NATO's “Baltops” military exercise, which took place from June 5 to 17, 2022. After the exercise ended and no attack occurred, the German government determined that intelligence services had not carried out the attack. Because it was a lie, it did nothing to prevent the attack, or even alert federal police, the Navy, or federal and state counterterrorism centers to the potential threat.
If that's true, this failure of action will turn out to be a miscalculation, allowing the attackers to destroy two pipelines on September 26, 2022, with a budget of less than $300,000, and Germany This has led to doubts about the long-term energy supply of the world.
“It was a crazy plan that succeeded only through fierce determination and a huge amount of luck, but also aided by incompetent security services and political intrigue.” Spiegel commented.
A leading German news magazine identified most of the Ukrainian crew members involved in the attack and claimed they had since gone underground. still Spiegel He said he would not publish their names because they could be targeted by “Russian death squads” or even “Ukrainian security services.”
“Some are civilians, some are soldiers. They were employed and trained by groups that have been planning and carrying out covert operations for Ukraine's security services for years. Some of the perpetrators have been working with the CIA for years. Some have ties to the United States,” the magazine reported.
Some of the attackers were said to have ties to the U.S. intelligence community, and despite President Joe Biden's public threat to destroy the pipeline, the report claims that CIA representatives were not able to get to the president's office in Kiev in June 2022. He claims to have met with Volodymyr Zelensky in the palace and demanded the following: The plan is canceled. President Zelenskiy claims he had no knowledge of the plot, but Spiegel They claim to have been informed during a meeting with CIA officials at least several months before the actual attack.
The report also claimed that “US operatives” had direct contact with members of the Ukrainian strike force, claiming that “they were acquainted” and demanding that the plan be halted. After learning that Western intelligence had become aware of the plot, then-Commander-in-Chief Valery Zarzini told the commando team that if they did not abandon the plan, everyone involved would likely be sent to prison. It is said.
but, Spiegel This should not be interpreted as a direct order to call off the strike, but to continue it for fear of being delayed until the next day, since it is almost impossible to carry out operations in the Baltic Sea in the autumn-winter period. states that it has been decided. spring.
A widely circulated news magazine's claim that the German government knew of a plot to destroy critical energy infrastructure, which accounted for half of Germany's annual natural needs as of 2021, comes two weeks after the collapse of the “traffic light” coalition. Ta. The government of Olaf Scholz came to power several months before German citizens went to the polls to choose a new government.
In addition to widespread questions about whether the report is true, it is also unclear whether Prime Minister Scholz was personally informed of the Nord Stream conspiracy, and whether the government could act on the material information. It is clear that this was not the case, and could do further damage to the prime minister's already waning popularity. Considering the economic and energy crisis that hit Germany in the wake of pipeline sabotage.
The report also states that countries such as Germany, France and the UK are said to be planning how to continue funding the war if US President-elect Donald Trump cuts off aid from the US. The situation could cast doubt on Berlin's continued support for the country's war effort against Russia. He aims to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.
Left-wing German politicians, including left-wing populist Sarah Wagenknecht and AfD's Alice Weidel, have already called for an end to German aid to Ukraine over Kiev's alleged involvement in the Nord Stream plot. .
There were also calls for the German parliament to investigate the government into what it knew about the sabotage plan.
“If it turns out that the German authorities had advance knowledge of the attack plan, it would be the scandal of the century in German politics,” Wagenknecht said in August.
