US Knew of Ukrainian Plan to Attack Nord Stream Pipeline Prior to Sabotage
AllSides Summary
Leaked intelligence acquired by the Washington Post (Lean Left bias) revealed the CIA was made aware in June 2022 of a Ukrainian plan to sabotage the Nord Stream pipeline, three months before a series of underwater explosions ruptured both Nord Stream pipelines flowing from Russia to Germany.
Details: Reports reveal an unnamed European intelligence agency shared information on the plan with the CIA. The Post reported “striking similarities” between the Ukrainian plan outlined in the documents and the eventual attack. In the immediate aftermath of the sabotage in September, Russia accused “Anglo-Saxons” of Western Europe and the U.S. for the attack, citing Biden’s past comments against the pipeline. Many leaders in Western Europe and the U.S. blamed Russia for the sabotage. Ukraine directly blamed Moscow. Biden refuted Russian claims the U.S. was involved, but did not directly blame Russia.
For Context: This information comes from the collection of leaked materials shared through the chat messaging program Discord by Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old air national guardsman in Massachusetts who was taken in custody in April.
How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum are reporting on the leaked intelligence mildly and not prominently, apart from the Washington Post. Coverage across the spectrum mainly summarizes the reporting done by the Washington Post article. As of 5:00 EST Tuesday, Newsweek (Center bias) published 14 articles related to the Russia-Ukraine war throughout the day, but had not covered the leaked information.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
U.S. had intelligence of detailed Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream pipeline
Three months before saboteurs bombed the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline, the Biden administration learned from a close ally that the Ukrainian military had planned a covert attack on the undersea network, using a small team of divers who reported directly to the commander in chief of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Details about the plan, which have not been previously reported, were collected by a European intelligence service and shared with the CIA in June 2022. They provide some of the most specific evidence to date linking the government of...
From the Right
US had prior intelligence of Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream pipelines: Report
The United States was reportedly told by a European spy agency that the Ukrainian military planned to attack the Nord Stream gas pipelines covertly three months before they were bombed.
The intelligence would mean that, for nearly a year, the U.S. and other European allies had a basis to suspect Kyiv in the sabotage.
The intelligence was first shared with the CIA in June 2022 by a European intelligence service with close ties to the U.S. The report was shared on the chat platform Discord allegedly by Air National Guard...
From the Center
US had intelligence of Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream project -Washington Post
The United States learned of a Ukrainian plan to attack the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines three months before they were damaged last September by underwater explosions, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing leaked information posted online.
The CIA learned last June, through a European spy agency, that a six-person team of Ukrainian special operations forces intended to blow up the Russia-to-Germany project, the newspaper reported.
The intelligence reporting was shared online on Discord, purportedly by Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, who was arrested in April and charged...
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