Russian diplomat says Ukraine would not have attacked Nord Stream without US approval By Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s ambassador to Washington said on Friday he did not believe Ukraine attacked the Nord Stream gas pipelines without the tacit approval of the United States and that Russia would identify and punish those behind the attack.

A sudden drop in pressure on pipelines under the Baltic Sea was recorded on September 26, 2022, and seismologists detected explosions, triggering a wave of speculation about who sabotaged the multibillion-dollar project carrying Russian gas to Germany.

No one has claimed responsibility for the explosions, which occurred off the Danish island of Bornholm and snapped three of four lines in the system.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Ukraine’s top military commander approved the 2022 attack on gas pipelines despite a warning from the US Central Intelligence Agency to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky not to carry out the attack.

“They seek to shift all responsibility to their Ukrainian puppets,” Russian Ambassador Anatoli Antonov said in a statement to Nord Stream. “We will seek to identify the real perpetrators of the attack and punish them.”

Russia has repeatedly said that the attack on Nord Stream was carried out by the United States and Britain. Washington and London have denied the allegations.

The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal all reported that Ukraine – which has repeatedly denied involvement – was behind the attack.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak denied on Thursday that his country was involved and pointed the finger at Russia.

Antonov said there was no way Ukraine would attack Nord Stream without Washington’s “eye”.

“In fact, we are talking about the implicit legitimization of terrorism, even when it comes to the territory of allies,” Antonov said.

The explosions took place in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. Both countries have said the blasts were deliberate, but have yet to say publicly who is responsible. Those countries and Germany are investigating.