According to a joint investigation by Dutch and German news outlets, the CIA warned Ukraine not to destroy Nord Stream months before a series of underwater explosions hit the gas pipelines. The warning came after Dutch military intelligence received information about an "imminent attack" on Nord Stream from an unnamed source in Ukraine in June 2021. The intelligence plan received by MIVD suggested that General Valery Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was in charge of the operation against Nord Stream, which involved a small team of divers traveling on a sailing boat and was supposed to take place mid-June 2022. The Dutch intelligence services informed the US, who made contact with Ukraine via the CIA to warn them off.
Last September, the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, linking Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, were targeted by two blasts in what has been called an act of deliberate sabotage by Swedish and Danish authorities. Although fingers were quickly pointed at Russia for the bombing, the culprit has not yet been identified. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied any involvement in the attack in a recent interview with POLITICO's parent company, Axel Springer.
The Dutch government and MIVD declined to comment on their joint reporting. While the investigation may not provide conclusive evidence of Ukraine's involvement in the attack, it sheds new light on the CIA's involvement in warning Ukraine not to destroy Nord Stream. As a centrist journalist, it is important to report on all sides of the story without taking a stance or opinion on the matter.