The Kremlin said the information that Mr. Zelensky did not know about his subordinates' plans to attack the Nord Stream pipeline was alarming to Russia and the West.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that "Ukrainian traces" are increasingly appearing in information related to the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion.
"The latest information suggests that President Volodymyr Zelensky may not have known about the actions of his subordinates in the security agencies. This is an alarm bell, not only for Russia but also for Western countries. It is worrying that the Ukrainian authorities cannot control the situation in their own country," Mr. Peskov said.
Air bubbles rise from a leak on Nord Stream 2 near the Danish island of Bornholm on September 27, 2022. Photo: AFP
The statement was made after the US Washington Post on November 11 quoted Ukrainian officials and European sources as saying that Roman Chervinsky, a colonel in the Ukrainian special forces, coordinated the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
The newspaper said Chervinsky took orders from higher-ups who reported directly to the commander of the Ukrainian military, Valery Zaluzhny. President Zelensky was reportedly unaware of the plan. "Chervinsky's role is the most direct evidence of the involvement of the Ukrainian security and military leadership in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline," the newspaper said.
President Zelensky has not commented on the information. A spokesman for the Ukrainian military said on November 12 that they had "no data" on the content published by the US newspaper.
Chervinsky is being held in a Kiev prison on charges of abuse of power in a scheme to lure a Russian pilot to defect to Ukraine in July 2022. Ukrainian authorities accuse Chervinsky, who was arrested in April, of acting arbitrarily and revealing the coordinates of a Ukrainian airport, leading to the attack.
Leakage location after explosions on Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in September 2022. Graphic: Guardian
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea were damaged in explosions in September 2022. The pipelines were not operating at the time. Denmark, Sweden and Germany, the three countries closest to the site, launched an investigation and concluded that the incident was an act of sabotage but have not yet identified the perpetrators.
Vu Anh (According to TASS, Reuters )
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