CIA linked to Nord Stream pipeline explosion, Spiegel сlaims
The Ukrainian team linked to the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage allegedly discussed its intentions with representatives of the US intelligence agency CIA in the spring of 2022, Spiegel reports.
According to the agency, which cites sources, contacts between the Ukrainian team and CIA representatives took place in the spring of 2022 in Kyiv, shortly after the Russian offensive on the capital was repelled. The meeting allegedly took place in one of the restaurants in the Podilskyi district of Kyiv.
During this conversation, the Ukrainian side first voiced its intention to disable Russian pipelines to deprive Moscow of the superprofits that finance the war.
At that stage, American agents listened to the idea with interest and did not express any objections. Journalists suggest that the CIA sought to obtain as much detailed information about the plan as possible.
The investigation shows that technical details were discussed at subsequent meetings. The Ukrainian participants even got the impression that the US might support the plan financially. However, the Americans' position changed dramatically later on.
In June 2022, Dutch intelligence received a detailed description of the attack plan and forwarded it to the CIA and Berlin. The US, for its part, began to actively discourage the Ukrainian team from carrying out the operation.
The CIA representative in Kyiv even appealed to the Office of the President to cancel the sabotage.
At that time, the German side was skeptical about the warnings from its partners, as the expected date of the operation specified in the documents had already passed.
The CIA press service responded laconically to an official request from journalists, calling the information from anonymous sources completely false.
At the same time, Spiegel emphasizes that information from these sources has been repeatedly confirmed by official German investigators.
Nord Stream destruction
In September 2022, explosions occurred at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, disabling the Russian gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2.
At that time, they were considered the main route for supplying Russian gas to Europe. Ukrainians are suspected of being involved in the operation.
In November 2025, German law enforcement officers took Ukrainian Serhii Kuznietsov into custody. He was extradited from Italy on charges of direct involvement in the 2022 sabotage. He is currently in a detention center in Germany.
The situation is different for the second suspect, Ukrainian Volodymyr Zhuravliov. Although Germany requested his extradition, a court in Warsaw refused to extradite him in October 2025 and released him.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also commented on the decision.
