Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, who alleged last month that undercover U.S. Navy divers planted remotely triggered explosives on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, burst into laughter after hearing the New York Times claim that a “pro-Ukranian group” carried out the attack.
“What? That can’t be true,” Hersh said, according to a Disclose.tv tweet. “They can’t be that stupid. Are they that stupid?”
According to the Times, U.S. intelligence officials suggested an unnamed “pro-Ukranian group” carried out last September’s attack on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea, which linked natural gas from Russia to Western Europe. Sweden and Denmark reported severe damage to the pipelines in September as natural gas spewed toward the surface.
Officials said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or the national government were not involved in the attack and declined to disclose additional information surrounding the new intelligence obtained. The anonymous officials cited by the Times offered no specifics on the shadowy group they said blew up the pipeline but insisted the attack did not involve the U.S. or United Kingdom.