Poland covered up for Nord Stream attackers – WSJ — RT World News
European officials said Warsaw provided investigators with “misinformation” and tried to shift the blame for the explosions on Russia.
Polish officials concealed evidence and attempted to disrupt an international investigation into the Nord Stream gas pipeline bombing, leading to the opening of investigations. “We are suspicious of Warsaw’s role and motives.” The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines – which linked Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea – were destroyed in a series of explosions near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022. A joint investigation is being conducted by Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Investigators assumed that a Ukrainian team rented a yacht in Germany from a Polish company, which they used to transport explosives to the explosion sites.
When investigators pursued these leads in Poland, they found themselves tied up by government officials and law enforcement agents, the newspaper reported. mentionedciting sources within the investigation.
The sources said that the Polish authorities failed to hand over the testimonies of eyewitnesses who confronted the six-person yacht crew in the Polish port of Kolobrzeg until the German police pushed them to do so. CCTV footage from the port was then withheld, and Poland's internal security agency, ABW, “Failed to answer inquiries, obfuscated, or gave contradictory information.” The newspaper reported.
Polish prosecutors said they found no traces of explosives on the yacht, although they never boarded it to examine it, as investigators claimed. Media reports said that the investigation would later find explosive residues on board the ship.
Prosecutors reportedly told European investigators that the boat arrived in Kolobrzeg at 4pm on September 19, when it had actually docked seven hours earlier. Later in the investigation, ABW informed its sister agencies in Europe that the yacht “Linked to Russian espionage” The newspaper wrote, adding that investigators took this into consideration “Disinformation.”
According to all available information, no Western government or intelligence agencies suspect that Russia was behind the bombings. Gas sold to Europe via Nord Stream was a lucrative source of income for Moscow and was seen as a powerful tool of influence for the Kremlin.
Poland's efforts to obstruct investigators succeeded “Growing doubts about Warsaw’s role and motives” The Wall Street Journal noted that. However, all of the alleged misdirection and obfuscation occurred under Poland's previous government, which has not been named “senior European officials” He told the newspaper that they were considering contacting Poland's new prime minister, Donald Tusk, in the hope that he would give them access to police and security personnel who may have previously been pressured to remain silent.
According to an alternative theory put forward by American journalist Seymour Hersh, the CIA was responsible for the Nord Stream explosions. Citing sources within the intelligence community, Hersh said CIA divers working with the Norwegian Navy planted remotely-delivered bombs on the lines last summer, using NATO exercises in the area as cover.
This theory was reinforced by a tweet by former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who within hours of the explosions shared a tweet picture Of a giant gas leak at the site of the explosion with caption “Thank you, USA.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin supported this interpretation, indicating last month that the operation was sabotage “This was done, most likely, by the Americans or someone on their instructions.”
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