According to The Washington Post, in June last year, the CIA learned through a European intelligence agency that a six-member group of Ukrainian special forces intended to blow up “Steams”.
Three months before saboteurs blew up the Nord Stream pipeline, the Biden administration learned from a close associate that the Ukrainian military was planning a covert attack on the undersea network using a small group of divers who reported directly to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Details of the previously unreported plan were gathered by the European Intelligence Service and handed over to the CIA in June 2022. They contain some of the most concrete evidence to date linking the Ukrainian government to a possible attack in the Baltic Sea.
Danish Defense shows the gas leaking at Nord Stream 2 seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark on Sept. 27, 2022. DANISH DEFENCE/ANADOLU AGENCY/GETTY IMAGES
The European intelligence messages were published on the Discord chat platform, allegedly by Jack Teixeira, a member of the US Air Force National Guard. The Washington Post obtained a copy from one of Teixeira’s online friends.
The intelligence report was based on information obtained from a person in Ukraine. The source’s information could not be immediately confirmed, but the CIA shared the report with Germany and other European countries last June, according to several officials familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss covert intelligence operations and diplomatic discussions.
The very specific details, including the number of operatives and the methods of attack, show that for almost a year Western allies have had reason to suspect Kyiv of sabotage. That assessment has only intensified in recent months when German law enforcement investigators uncovered evidence of an explosion that bears a striking resemblance to what the European service says Ukraine was planning.
Officials in several countries confirmed that the intelligence summary posted on Discord accurately reflected what the European agency had reported to the CIA.
Ukrainian officials, who have previously denied the country’s involvement in the Nord Stream attack, did not respond to requests for comment.
The White House declined to comment on a detailed set of questions about the European report and alleged Ukrainian military conspiracy, including whether US officials tried to obstruct the mission.
The CIA also declined to comment.
Earlier, the US portal The Grayzone claimed to have conducted an independent expedition to the Nord Stream explosion site and discovered evidence missed by the investigation – a boot allegedly commonly worn by US and Ukrainian Navy divers.
