(MENAFN – Asia Times) Germany and the United States have published numerous stories about the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline in September 2022, claiming that it was destroyed by the Ukrainians.

The latest article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) would have us believe that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky originally approved the plan to blow up the pipeline and that it was carried out by former Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander Valery Zalushny.

The still-unexplained explosion rendered three of Nord Stream’s four pipelines, which deliver gas from Russia to Europe, inoperable. Germany, Sweden and Denmark launched three separate investigations into the acts of sabotage, but the latter two closed them in February 2024 without publicly assigning responsibility for the damage.

According to the WSJ report, Zelensky tried to call off the attack after the US warned him against it, after the planning was carried out by a ragtag group of Ukrainian army officers and civilians, mostly soaked in alcohol. But Zalushny pressed on, saying he had no way of calling off the operation.

The Andromeda Yacht

The story also tells of German prosecutors attempting to charge a crew member, a Ukrainian diving instructor, without revealing his last name. This crew member allegedly lived with his family in Poland but disappeared. The Germans accuse the Poles of obstructing the proceedings.

However, almost the entire WSJ article is hard to believe. For example, it claims that German investigators checked the German-registered yacht called Andromeda and discovered DNA, fingerprints and traces of explosives.

Who the DNA and fingerprints are attributed to is not explained, nor is it explained what kind of explosive traces were allegedly found. The WSJ only says that they were discovered during a two-year police investigation. Over such a long period of time, the Andromeda was undoubtedly rented out to many others. Are there any differences between Ukrainian fingerprints and others?

MENAFN19082024000159011032ID1108573894