According to Ukrainian senior officials and alleged participants of the mission who spoke to the WSJ, the operation cost around $300,000 and involved a group of six people, including trained divers on a small rented yacht. One of the people aboard was a woman to create the image they were out on a cruise for fun.
“I always laugh when I read media speculation about some huge operation involving secret services, submarines, drones and satellites,” one officer involved stated. “The whole thing was born out of a night of heavy boozing and the iron determination of a handful of people who had the guts to risk their lives for their country.”
Another officer disclosed that Zelensky initially approved of the plot to blow up the pipelines, which was allegedly corroborated by three other people familiar with the plan. However, according to them, he ordered a halt after the CIA learned of the plan. Valeriy Zaluzhniy, Zelensky's commander in chief who was allegedly at the helm of the operation, moved forward anyways. Each source said "the pipelines were a legitimate target in Ukraine’s war of defense against Russia," per the WSJ.
At least portions of each of these sources' accounts were corroborated by the ongoing investigation into the Nord Stream initiated by Germany 2 years ago. While their evidence has not yet linked Zelensky directly to the operation, emails, phone communications, and forensic evidence have linked the alleged Ukrainian sabotage team.
Other senior Ukrainian officials, including Zaluzhniy who is now Ukraine's ambassador to the United Kingdom, have denied any governmental involvement or knowledge of the plot. A Ukrainian SBU intelligence official stated that Zelensky “did not approve the implementation of any such actions on the territory of third countries and did not issue relevant orders.”
