'It planned multiple provocations, lied that Ukraine was a threat to (Russia), and began launching missile attacks on our country's peaceful cities,' Podolyak said. He said Russia used similar false-flag operations to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But details beyond that remain sketchy.Įurope Seismologists suspect explosions damaged undersea pipelines that carry Russian gas and European intelligence agencies - and say there's no evidence Zelenskyy's government directed the suspected saboteurs or even know about them.Ĭiting German investigators, Die Zeit writes that six people carried out the attacks and used a yacht rented by a company registered in Poland and owned by two Ukrainians. Sabotaging the pipeline, Podolyak said, 'is absolutely devoid of tactical sense and does not affect the course of the war in any way.'īoth newspapers attribute their reports to sources within U.S. Podolyak said the reports by The New York Times and Germany's Die Zeit newspaper had 'lots of assumptions and anonymous conjecture but not real facts.' He added that the accusations seemed to be aimed at distracting Europeans from supporting Ukraine and to paint Russia as the victim.

In a written response to questions from NPR, the adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, also categorically denied that Zelenskyy and his government knew of any plans to sabotage the pipelines.

28, 2022 in At Sea.Īn adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is questioning recent reports that a pro-Ukraine group was behind the undersea bombings of the Nord Stream oil pipelines in September. In this handout photo provided by Swedish Coast Guard, the release of gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea on Sept.

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