FRANKFURT: A joint investigation by the Washington Post and Der Spiegel has revealed that a senior Ukrainian military official, Colonel Roman Chervinsky of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, played a pivotal role in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last year. Chervinsky allegedly acted as the “coordinator” of the Nord Stream operation, overseeing logistics and supervising a team of six individuals who, under false identities, rented a sailboat and used deep-sea diving apparatus to place explosive charges on the pipelines.
The sabotage, which resulted in four large gas leaks on Nord Stream’s two pipelines off the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022, heightened geopolitical tensions surrounding the pipelines. At the time, Russia had cut gas supplies to Europe in what was suspected to be retaliation for Western sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Responsibility for the explosions was initially attributed to various sources, including Ukraine, Russia, or the United States, but all parties denied involvement.
Chervinsky, through his attorney, denied any role in the sabotage, dismissing speculations as part of Russian propaganda. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently denied his country’s involvement in the pipeline explosions. The investigation suggests that the sabotage operation was planned without informing Zelensky. Chervinsky is currently on trial in Kyiv on charges of abusing his power in an attempt to induce a Russian pilot to defect. He claims that the prosecution is politically motivated, retaliation for his criticism of Zelensky.
