Drunken Plot and a Yacht: The Story Behind the Nord Stream Pipeline Explosion

A Ukrainian sabotage group has been linked to the explosion of Russia's Nord Stream gas pipeline, using a tourist yacht to carry out the mission, according to an investigation by the Wall Street Journal. The plan was reportedly conceived by high-ranking Ukrainian officials and influential businessmen during a party in a bar, where they decided to execute the operation using a straightforward and inexpensive method.

The operation, which cost around 300,000 dollars, involved chartering a small yacht through a Polish travel agency. A crew of six, including experienced soldiers and civilians with seafaring skills, carried out the mission. The group, led by a serving general with special operations experience, took control of 20 vials of ketamine for 55,000 dollars in cash to help execute the plan. The general reported directly to Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and all discussions were conducted verbally to avoid leaving a paper trail.

One officer involved in the plot dismissed media speculation about a large-scale operation involving intelligence services, submarines, drones, and satellites. He described it as the result of a night of heavy drinking and the determination of a few individuals willing to risk their lives for Ukraine. The team ultimately decided on a simpler plan, using a small sailboat and a crew of six to sabotage the pipeline.

In September 2022, the group chartered a yacht named Andromeda, with a crew that included an experienced captain and four deep-sea divers, as well as a 30-year-old woman trained in diving. The captain, who had taken leave from his unit fighting in southeastern Ukraine, was unaware of the operation's details.

President Volodymyr Zelensky initially approved the plan to destroy the pipeline in the Baltic Sea, though all conversations about the mission were kept verbal. The pipelines were seen as a legitimate target in Ukraine's defensive war against Russia, according to four senior Ukrainian defense and security officials involved in the plot or with direct knowledge of it.

In June, German prosecutors quietly issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian professional diving instructor allegedly involved in the operation. The investigation has since focused on Gen. Zaluzhnyi and his associates, although no evidence has yet been presented in court.

Despite warnings from the CIA to halt the operation, Zelensky ordered Zaluzhnyi to cancel the plan, but the general ignored the directive and proceeded with a revised plan. Following the explosions, Zelensky expressed his anger and summoned Zaluzhnyi, who explained that the sabotage group had no means of communication after deployment and could not be recalled without compromising the mission.

When asked for comment by the Wall Street Journal, Gen. Zaluzhnyi, now Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, denied knowledge of the operation, calling any suggestion otherwise a "plain provocation." He emphasized that Ukraine's armed forces do not have the right to carry out missions abroad. A high-ranking SBU official also denied any government involvement in the sabotage, stating that Zelensky did not approve such actions in third countries and did not issue related orders.