A Ukrainian soldier was the coordinator of the explosions in the "Nord Stream" pipelines that transport Russian gas to Europe, in the fall of 2022.
The sensational reporting that shakes Kiev comes from the American newspaper Washington Post and Germany's Der Spiegel. Specifically, the joint investigation of two well-known media centers on the role of Roman Chervinsky.
The 48-year-old served in Ukraine's Special Forces and is suspected of playing a key role in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline last September.
Citing sources among Ukrainian and European officials, as well as " people familiar with details of the covert operation ," WP and Spiegel underline that Chervinsky was the "coordinator" of the Baltic operation.
The Post claims the Ukrainian colonel was responsible for managing logistics and support for a six-person sabotage team that carried out the attack.
He reportedly had strong ties to Ukrainian intelligence, Kiev's military and the National Security Service. As part of the Special Forces, he was allegedly responsible for coordinating sabotage activities.
" The six-person team chartered a sailboat using false identities and scuba gear to plant explosive devices in pipelines ," the article said.
According to the investigative report, Chervinsky did not plan the operation alone and received orders from higher-ranking Ukrainian officials. He reported to Major General Viktor Hanushchak, who communicated directly with Ukraine's top military commander, General Valery Zaluzhny.
But the 48-year-old has denied any role in the sabotage through his lawyer. " All speculations about my involvement in the Nord Stream attack have been spread by Russian propaganda without any basis ," he said in a statement to the Post and Der Spiegel.
Chervinsky is currently on trial in Kiev, accused of abusing his authority in an attempt to persuade a Russian pilot to defect.
He was arrested in April 2023 on charges of abusing his power. But he claims his trial is politically motivated and accuses senior officials in President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration, including senior adviser Andrey Yermak, of being Russian "spies".
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president himself has repeatedly denied that his country is behind the explosions that damaged three of the four pipelines that make up Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, leaking gas into the Baltic Sea.
" I would never do that ," he told German newspaper Bild in June.
So, it is worth noting that in August, the German public broadcaster ZDF also reported that all the evidence in the case of the Nord Stream explosion makes Ukraine guilty.
" Those familiar with the investigation consider the evidence pointing to Ukraine to be particularly compelling ," German broadcaster ZDF said at the time, adding that there was "no credible evidence " to suggest Russia was behind the attack. (A2 Televizion)
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