The Wall Street Journal’s explosive investigative report that painted Ukraine as the clear culprit behind perhaps the biggest and most damaging sabotage operation of the 21st century has stirred up sentiments far and wide—but not so much in Germany, the main victim of the attack.
Mainstream German parties refuse to publicly acknowledge the possibility that Kyiv crippled their energy sector, causing billions in damage. Instead, they accuse anyone who dares point out the clear implications for the relationship between the two countries of only doing Putin’s bidding.
As we wrote in our summary of the lengthy WSJ report, the investigation—supported by four high-level sources who had taken part in the conspiracy, as well as by Western intelligence sources and criminal investigations carried out in several countries—found that the sabotage was carried out by a six-person team of Ukrainian covert operatives, led by a senior special ops officer from a base of operations in Poland, directly overseen by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Ukrainian army’s commander-in-chief at the time.
The report also claimed that President Zelensky initially authorized the operation and only changed his mind following pressure from the CIA, indicating that at least the U.S., Germany, and the Netherlands had foreknowledge of the plot at one point. Zelensky allegedly did call off the mission, but Zaluzhnyi went ahead with it anyway, behind the president’s back.
Some details also implicate Poland, as officials in Warsaw seem to have deliberately stalled or hindered the German investigation, and also refused to act on Berlin’s arrest warrant for one of the suspects while they still could have.
If the WSJ’s retelling of the story is anything close to what truly happened, the German political elite knew it was Ukraine all along, which means they simply chose to ignore the facts in order not to jeopardize Berlin’s standing as Kyiv’s second-largest donor, after the U.S.
The key question now is how the same elite will handle the fallout from this information becoming public. So far, the response has unfolded exactly as expected.
“Germany stands firmly by Ukraine and will continue its support for as long as necessary,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. They added that Kyiv’s EU membership bid is not at risk either, as the report has no bearing until the official German investigation is completed.
Only the national-conservative AfD and the left-wing populist BSW seem to care about the implications of Ukraine possibly conducting an act of war against its primary ally in Europe. AfD wants to repair the pipelines as soon as possible, while BSW called for the immediate halting of all weapon deliveries to Kyiv “in view of the Zelensky disclosure.”
The center-right CDU was quick to dismiss the call by doing what the establishment always does, accusing the other side of being pro-Russia. “The compliant helper of the dictator and war criminal already knows everything and better,” Jürgen Hardt, a CDU MP commented on BSW leader Sara Wagenknecht’s call. “Wagenknecht’s request again fulfills Putin’s wishes—such a coincidence!”
Still, it’s only a matter of time before the German establishment is forced to drop this charade and at least acknowledge the possibility since everything in the report seamlessly fits together with the evidence the country’s own criminal investigation has uncovered. There’s not much opportunity for face-saving left for the current socialist-green government, but the CDU might realize that the sooner they face the facts, the less ridiculous they will look once back in the governing seat.
Nord Stream Bombshell: Sacrificing German Interests for Ukraine’s Sake?
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) and Ukrainian President Zelensky (left).
Photo: Kim Cheung / AFP
The Wall Street Journal’s explosive investigative report that painted Ukraine as the clear culprit behind perhaps the biggest and most damaging sabotage operation of the 21st century has stirred up sentiments far and wide—but not so much in Germany, the main victim of the attack.
Mainstream German parties refuse to publicly acknowledge the possibility that Kyiv crippled their energy sector, causing billions in damage. Instead, they accuse anyone who dares point out the clear implications for the relationship between the two countries of only doing Putin’s bidding.
As we wrote in our summary of the lengthy WSJ report, the investigation—supported by four high-level sources who had taken part in the conspiracy, as well as by Western intelligence sources and criminal investigations carried out in several countries—found that the sabotage was carried out by a six-person team of Ukrainian covert operatives, led by a senior special ops officer from a base of operations in Poland, directly overseen by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Ukrainian army’s commander-in-chief at the time.
The report also claimed that President Zelensky initially authorized the operation and only changed his mind following pressure from the CIA, indicating that at least the U.S., Germany, and the Netherlands had foreknowledge of the plot at one point. Zelensky allegedly did call off the mission, but Zaluzhnyi went ahead with it anyway, behind the president’s back.
Some details also implicate Poland, as officials in Warsaw seem to have deliberately stalled or hindered the German investigation, and also refused to act on Berlin’s arrest warrant for one of the suspects while they still could have.
If the WSJ’s retelling of the story is anything close to what truly happened, the German political elite knew it was Ukraine all along, which means they simply chose to ignore the facts in order not to jeopardize Berlin’s standing as Kyiv’s second-largest donor, after the U.S.
The key question now is how the same elite will handle the fallout from this information becoming public. So far, the response has unfolded exactly as expected.
“Germany stands firmly by Ukraine and will continue its support for as long as necessary,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. They added that Kyiv’s EU membership bid is not at risk either, as the report has no bearing until the official German investigation is completed.
Only the national-conservative AfD and the left-wing populist BSW seem to care about the implications of Ukraine possibly conducting an act of war against its primary ally in Europe. AfD wants to repair the pipelines as soon as possible, while BSW called for the immediate halting of all weapon deliveries to Kyiv “in view of the Zelensky disclosure.”
The center-right CDU was quick to dismiss the call by doing what the establishment always does, accusing the other side of being pro-Russia. “The compliant helper of the dictator and war criminal already knows everything and better,” Jürgen Hardt, a CDU MP commented on BSW leader Sara Wagenknecht’s call. “Wagenknecht’s request again fulfills Putin’s wishes—such a coincidence!”
Still, it’s only a matter of time before the German establishment is forced to drop this charade and at least acknowledge the possibility since everything in the report seamlessly fits together with the evidence the country’s own criminal investigation has uncovered. There’s not much opportunity for face-saving left for the current socialist-green government, but the CDU might realize that the sooner they face the facts, the less ridiculous they will look once back in the governing seat.
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