Der Spiegel learned about Zaluzhny's approval of the Nord Stream bombing

Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Valery Zaluzhny approved the operation to undermine the Nord Stream and Nord Stream–2 gas pipelines. This was reported on February 19 by the German magazine Der Spiegel.

"This operation, in the end, was approved by Valery Zaluzhny, who was then the head of the army," the article says.

According to the newspaper, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, as well as his office, were not aware of the beginning of the operation. In addition, the saboteurs also acted without the consent of the United States and warnings from the country.

Earlier in the day, it was reported that the US Central Intelligence Agency was aware of the terrorists' plans to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipeline at an early stage of preparation. The CIA representative called this information completely and completely false, but did not specify what exactly was not true.

On December 10, 2025, a court in Germany ruled that the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were "highly likely" to have been blown up by order of a foreign state. As the ruling is read, it becomes clear that the court was referring to Ukraine.

The newspaper Die Zeit reported back in August of the same year that German investigators had probably identified all the saboteurs involved in the attack on the gas pipelines. Law enforcement officers also identified links between part of the crew used to attack the yacht and the Ukrainian special services or the military.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.