a senior officer Ukrainian soldier with deep ties to the Intelligence services of the country there could be played a central role in the bombing of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelineslast year, as reported by officials from Ukraine and other parts of Europe, as well as other people familiar with the details of the covert operation, and reported by the American newspaper ‘The Washington Post’.

The officer’s role would provide the most direct evidence to date linking Ukraine’s military and security leaders to a controversial act of sabotage that has generated multiple criminal investigations and which American and Western officials have described as dangerous attack on Europe’s energy infrastructure.

According to these sources, Roman Chervinsky, a 48-year-old decorated colonel who served in the Ukrainian special operations forces, was the “coordinator” of Operation Nord Stream and managed logistics and support for a six-person team that rented a sailboat under false identities and used deep-sea diving equipment to place explosive charges in gas pipelines.

Did not act alone

Chervinsky did not act alone and did not plan the operation, according to sources, as he received orders from higher-ranking Ukrainian officials, who ultimately reported to General Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s highest-ranking military officer. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details about the bombing, which has strained diplomatic relations with Ukraine and drawn objections from U.S. officials.

Through his lawyer, Chervinsky has denied any involvement in the sabotage of the gas pipelines. “All the speculation about my involvement in the Nord Stream attack are being spread by Russian propaganda without any basis,” Chervinsky assured in a written statement to ‘The Washington Post’ and ‘Der Spiegel’, which have carried out a joint investigation into his role. Ukrainian government spokespersons have not yet responded to a list of questions about Chervinsky’s involvement.

On September 26, 2022, three of the four lines of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines registered an explosion during their passage through the waters of the Baltic Sea, near a Danish island and off the coast of Sweden. While Russia has insisted that it was sabotage by some of the Scandinavian countries, the international community closed ranks on the matter and accused the Kremlin of having carried out a false flag attack.