Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has asserted that it is “clear” that the United States was behind the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline attacks, further intensifying Moscow’s allegations against Washington. This statement follows recent reports that German prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian man linked to the explosions.
Lavrov’s comments came during a visit to Azerbaijan, where he reaffirmed Russia’s longstanding claims that the West was involved in the attacks. He suggested that such a significant act of sabotage would have required orders from the highest levels of the US government. In a video interview with Izvestia published on Telegram, Lavrov dismissed suggestions that a group of drunken officers was responsible, labelling such explanations as “not serious.”
The US has yet to respond to Lavrov’s latest claims. Historically, Washington has rejected Russian accusations of involvement. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the blasts were executed by a Ukrainian team under the approval of Ukraine’s then-military commander-in-chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. According to the report, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had initially sanctioned the operation but attempted to halt it after receiving a warning from the CIA.
The Wall Street Journal also mentioned that Poland has confirmed receiving an arrest warrant from Germany for a Ukrainian suspect connected to the Nord Stream attacks. This development adds a new layer of complexity to the ongoing investigation into the blasts that occurred on September 26, 2022. Seismologists detected explosions and a sharp pressure drop in the pipelines, which led to widespread speculation about the perpetrators.
The Nord Stream pipelines, essential for delivering Russian gas to Germany, sustained major damage from the attacks, causing three out of the four lines to rupture. To date, no group or nation has officially claimed responsibility for the sabotage.
The debate over the origins of the Nord Stream attacks continues to evolve, with various theories and allegations emerging as investigations progress.