Nord Stream & Ukraine. The facts don't add up. We break it down for you
Contradictory information and conflicting narratives still plague legacy media reporting about Ukraine
Bornholm, a bucolic Danish island surrounded by shipwrecks, prides itself on making the memories of visiting divers unforgettable. Its official website promises, "Anyone who decides on this underwater adventure can be sure that the experiences in Bornholm will be long remembered. Plan your diving trip to Bornholm and discover the extraordinary underwater landscapes waiting to be explored.”
This haven for scuba enthusiasts also sits within physical view of where the Nord Stream gas pipelines exploded in September 2022. Now, nearly two years after that event, it is worth understanding why Bornholm and its shipwrecks, along with multiple facts that have been ignored during the current witch-hunt against Ukraine relating to the inoperability of the pipelines, cast doubt about the intentions of the media’s many unnamed sources and why multiple media outlets would push a narrative so full of holes.
In November 2023, the Washington Post ran an exclusive story highlighting Colonel Roman Chervinsky, one of the so-called planners of the Nord Stream actions. Chervinsky, also given ample attention in the Wall Street Journal’s “Exclusive” on the supposed conspiracy, is a special operations officer currently out on bond for allegations relating to a botched intelligence mission that resulted in 18 Ukrainian casualties. He is also known for alleging that a Fifth Column is present in the Office of the Ukrainian President and for directly accusing President Zelenskyy of negligent actions.
It is necessary to lead with the above information since, before this week, scant attention had been directed at so-called individual perpetrators beyond the Washington Post’s labeling of the Colonel as the “coordinator” of Ukraine’s supposed involvement in the Nord Stream affair. By Chernivsky’s public admission, he was under SBU investigation for treason more than a month before the September 26 pipeline explosion.
Did either outlet factor in Chernivksy’s recent past, including his arrest and jailing, which pertained in part to accusations of exceeding his authority, before promoting him as a central figure in their reporting? In a saga that supposedly has no paper trail, rehashing a similar plot with the exact figure is convenient if you ignore that he was under active investigation before the Nord Stream incident and would be subsequently incarcerated. It is also a convenient, if sloppy, method for crafting and planting a story intended to hurt Ukraine while choosing to omit or ignore specific facts, facts that change the entire dynamic of the case.
While many reports on the Nord Stream case mention German prosecutors having found DNA evidence, almost none have reported on an important caveat. Tests conducted on a recovered genetic sample, which came from an article of clothing and was compared to those of a relative from Germany, came up negative in tying the main suspect to being aboard the ship.
The lack of results, however, didn’t stop journalists from several German outlets from trekking to the Ukraine home of a member of the country’s Armed Forces and accosting his “babusia” on the serviceman’s whereabouts. Near the same time as that visit, French journalists who were part of the investigative consortium looking into Nord Stream confronted a Ukrainian businessman in his 40s at his home. They were there to ask him about his involvement in fronting the money for the Andromeda sailboat, referenced by the news outlets.
While claiming the entrepreneur became aggressive towards them, a more exhaustive look at his history would show why he was on edge. In 2022, this businessman was involved in an anti-corruption case and saw more than six figures confiscated by Ukrainian prosecutors as evidence of wrongdoing. However, the courts eventually acquitted him of all charges, found the man to be the firm's proper owner, and returned his funds.
Another aspect of the case that raises questions about the entire affair is how the journalists themselves can’t agree on some of the details of the case. Despite his denials, a significant focus of the English language media is on the role Ukraine’s former Commander-in-Chief held in overseeing the hypothetical plot; Radio France reported that it was Ukraine’s DIU that made a deal to purchase fake Bulgarian and Romanian passports from the criminal underworld at a cost of between 20 and 30 Thousand Euro, and while another article stated that the company used to rent the sailboat was a Ukrainian intelligence “front company,” this despite its owner being investigated the year the prior.
With all these contradictory reports, which esteemed legacy outlet is correct should be asked? Is the Nord Stream bombing the work of a small group that came together in a bar, the project of a disgraced Colonel who at the time of the blast was under investigation for treason, a far-reaching project that included Ukraine’s Military, Defense Intelligence, and Interior Ministry? Or is it simply six people who decided to take a trip to a popular diving spot and were caught up in the circumstances?
Stanislaw Zaryn, Poland’s then Deputy Minister for Special Services, made clear it was the latter, saying those aboard the Sailboat were tourists “looking for fun” when they docked briefly at the Polish port in Kolobrezg. He also blamed the most apparent culprit: Russia.
The best defense for Ukraine and the most potent indictment of the media’s rush to judgment in this particular case can be found in an attempt to recreate the supposed steps leading up to the fateful dive. Journalists from the German media firm ARD rented the Andromeda and set off into the Baltic; once in the middle of the sea, they realized the futility of their adventure. ARD’s team tech lead, Derk Remmers, was succinct: "I would use the Andromeda for a vacation, but not a sabotage mission."
As six divers realized in September 2022, the coast of Bornholm is an incredible location for exploration and fun. But for sabotage? You’ll have to ask the media.
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