Washington: Three months before they were harmed by underwater explosions last September, the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines were the target of a Ukrainian attack, according to information that was leaked online and reported on Tuesday by The Washington Post.

According to the newspaper, the CIA discovered in June of last year via a European spy agency that a six-person team of Ukrainian special operations forces intended to destroy the Russia-to-Germany project.

According to online rumours, Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, who was detained in April and charged in connection with the disclosure of private US documents, posted the intelligence reports on Discord. According to The Washington Post, Teixeira's online friend provided a copy for publication.

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According to the Washington Post, the intelligence report was based on data provided by a source in the Ukraine, and the CIA shared it with Germany and other European nations in June 2022.

The intelligence summary posted on Discord, according to the Post, accurately reflected what the European service told the CIA. Officials from multiple nations confirmed this.

According to White House spokesman John Kirby, there are ongoing investigations into the Nord Stream attack.
When questioned about The Post's coverage of the situation, Kirby responded, "The last thing that we're going to want to do from this podium is get ahead of those investigations.

The political spotlight was brought to bear on Europe's reliance on Russian natural gas following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The region quickly switched to other energy suppliers after the Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed.

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The two Nord Stream pipelines, each made up of two pipes, were constructed by Russia's state-owned Gazprom to deliver 110 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas to Germany every year.

According to The Post, at the request of government officials, it was decided to withhold the name of the European intelligence agency as well as some details of the alleged scheme due to risks to sources and operations.

Requests for comment from the CIA did not immediately receive a response. The intelligence cited by the Washington Post could not immediately be confirmed by Reuters.
In September 2022, several underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which connect Germany and Russia across the Baltic Sea.

The explosions took place in Sweden's and Denmark's economic zones. Although both nations claimed the explosions were intentional, they have not yet established who was to blame. These nations as well as Germany are looking.

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NATO and Washington referred to the incident as "an act of sabotage." Moscow laid the blame on the West, charging that investigators were taking too long and attempting to cover up the attack's perpetrators.