Reports about the involvement of a pro-Ukrainian group in the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines could be aimed at distracting attention from the potential role of the United States in the sabotage, Spanish media reported on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th March, 2023) Reports about the involvement of a pro-Ukrainian group in the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines could be aimed at distracting attention from the potential role of the United States in the sabotage, Spanish media reported on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that US officials said intelligence indicated a pro-Ukrainian group was behind the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines last year. The saboteurs were most likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals, the report also said, adding that no US or UK nationals were involved.
The allegation that some "pro-Ukrainian" group could have organized the attack may serve as a "smokescreen" to distract public attention and mislead people, while also weakening the speculation that the US could be behind the blasts on the pipelines, El Confidencial reported.
At the same time, the newspaper stated that Ukraine might have indeed been interested in destroying energy infrastructure connecting Russia and the European Union to prevent the latter from resuming its active economic relations with Moscow once the Ukrainian conflict is over.
A few hours after the publication of the New York Times story, German newspaper Zeit reported that the investigators had identified the vessel used to carry out the attack on the pipelines. The vessel's traces lead to a company owned by Ukrainians, according to the newspaper.
Earlier in the year, US journalist and Pulitzer prize winner Seymour Hersh alleged that the explosions were organized by the United States with the support of Norway. Following Hersh's report, Moscow has reiterated its calls for an impartial and thorough investigation. The US denies involvement in the incident.
The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, built to deliver gas under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, have been out of action since they were hit by explosions last September. Nord Stream's operator, Nord Stream AG, said that the damage was unprecedented and it was impossible to estimate the time repairs might take.
