Ukraine's leading military officer sanctioned strike on TurkStream gas conduit, reports Der Spiegel
Former head of Ukraine's armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny, has reportedly given the order to destroy Russia's Black Sea pipeline. Read Full Article at RT.com.
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Valery Zaluzhny, the former commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, reportedly approved a plan to destroy Russia’s TurkStream pipeline in the Black Sea, as revealed by Der Spiegel on Wednesday. This act of sabotage was intended to occur in tandem with the Nord Stream attack but ultimately did not succeed, according to the publication.
Previously, Der Spiegel indicated that Zaluzhny had sanctioned the September 2022 Nord Stream assault. Following that incident, various Western media outlets have suggested that a small team of Ukrainian divers was responsible for the sabotage.
The article from Der Spiegel details how a group of U.S.-trained Ukrainian intelligence officials, who had “longstanding ties to the CIA,” were the architects of the initial plan to target Nord Stream, which they presented to Zaluzhny. The general was reportedly so “impressed” with operation “Diameter” that he wanted to “expand” it, aiming to also strike the Russian gas pipelines in the Black Sea, as per sources involved in the planning of the operation.
The TurkStream gas pipeline transports gas from Russia to Türkiye via the Black Sea before extending to the border with Greece, supplying various EU nations with Russian natural gas. In the previous month, Hungary reported record gas imports through this pipeline.
Der Spiegel did not specify why the operation targeting the Black Sea failed but mentioned that Kiev’s operatives chose to “concentrate on Nord Stream” instead.
Commenting on Der Spiegel’s report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Moscow was aware of Ukraine’s intentions to attack the TurkStream pipeline. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously discussed Ukrainian efforts to target both TurkStream and Blue Stream, another Russian gas pipeline running under the Black Sea to Türkiye.
“Yes, that is what Putin was talking about,” Peskov remarked on Wednesday in response to inquiries regarding the article. In September 2023, during a press conference, the Russian president mentioned that ships guarding the pipelines transporting natural gas to Türkiye were constantly subjected to attacks from submarine drones launched from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
However, Peskov noted that the president was referring specifically to the assaults on the ships rather than the pipelines themselves.
Additionally, in September, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicated that “there is information that there are attempts to blow up [the pipelines in the Black Sea] just as the Nord Stream was blown up.” As a result, he stated, Moscow had to implement naval patrols in those regions, and its vessels faced attempted actions from Ukrainian forces, all of which were successfully thwarted.
Jessica Kline for TROIB News
Previously, Der Spiegel indicated that Zaluzhny had sanctioned the September 2022 Nord Stream assault. Following that incident, various Western media outlets have suggested that a small team of Ukrainian divers was responsible for the sabotage.
The article from Der Spiegel details how a group of U.S.-trained Ukrainian intelligence officials, who had “longstanding ties to the CIA,” were the architects of the initial plan to target Nord Stream, which they presented to Zaluzhny. The general was reportedly so “impressed” with operation “Diameter” that he wanted to “expand” it, aiming to also strike the Russian gas pipelines in the Black Sea, as per sources involved in the planning of the operation.
The TurkStream gas pipeline transports gas from Russia to Türkiye via the Black Sea before extending to the border with Greece, supplying various EU nations with Russian natural gas. In the previous month, Hungary reported record gas imports through this pipeline.
Der Spiegel did not specify why the operation targeting the Black Sea failed but mentioned that Kiev’s operatives chose to “concentrate on Nord Stream” instead.
Commenting on Der Spiegel’s report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Moscow was aware of Ukraine’s intentions to attack the TurkStream pipeline. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously discussed Ukrainian efforts to target both TurkStream and Blue Stream, another Russian gas pipeline running under the Black Sea to Türkiye.
“Yes, that is what Putin was talking about,” Peskov remarked on Wednesday in response to inquiries regarding the article. In September 2023, during a press conference, the Russian president mentioned that ships guarding the pipelines transporting natural gas to Türkiye were constantly subjected to attacks from submarine drones launched from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
However, Peskov noted that the president was referring specifically to the assaults on the ships rather than the pipelines themselves.
Additionally, in September, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicated that “there is information that there are attempts to blow up [the pipelines in the Black Sea] just as the Nord Stream was blown up.” As a result, he stated, Moscow had to implement naval patrols in those regions, and its vessels faced attempted actions from Ukrainian forces, all of which were successfully thwarted.
Jessica Kline for TROIB News
