CIA allegedly knew of Nord Stream sabotage plans

German investigative journalist Oliver Schrom has alleged that the CIA was aware of the plans to sabotage the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from the early stages and initially offered no opposition. According to Schrom, field officers reportedly did not object to the plans and may have even acknowledged financial involvement. The report suggests the U.S. intelligence stance shifted only after Dutch intelligence became aware of the preparations.

In a related legal development, the Hamburg State Court has commenced the first hearing in the criminal case against Ukrainian citizen Sergey Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov is accused of coordinating the explosions that damaged the pipelines on September 26, 2022. German authorities suspect he led a group that planned the attacks under orders from Ukrainian government agencies, facing charges related to war crimes and the destruction of public utilities.

Russia's Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, stated that Moscow is awaiting the trial to identify those who organized and funded the terrorist act. The sabotage caused unprecedented damage to the infrastructure, with Nord Stream AG noting that the repair timeline remains uncertain.