„Nord-Stream-Saboteure sind Kinder der CIA“: Investigativjournalist Ulrich Thiele

A suspected Nord Stream coordinator is in custody in Hamburg. The trial is leading into a web of Ukrainian networks, reaching into the shadowy world of the CIA and into the heart of German politics. In the podcast, Ulrich Thiele discusses his highly explosive research. Podcast content: 12:38 "The saboteurs in Ukraine are very talkative; they're proud of their actions. For them, it's a patriotic act, and I think they're also pleased that it's being written about. Honestly, no one in Ukraine views it critically; in Ukraine, they're considered heroes, I would say. And in the US, we also spoke with very high-ranking sources—people who really need to know, including about the CIA's role. This was possible because we had journalist colleagues in the US who opened doors for us. We couldn't have done it without them. So, you need people to open doors." (Ulrich Thiele) 27:19 "The Chancellor's Office threw up a bit of a smokescreen. Then, at some point, there were reports—I think it was Der Spiegel—that first reported on this CIA warning to Berlin. And the Chancellor's Office tried to weasel its way out of it, which was both a preemptive move and a smokescreen. They said that this CIA warning was so general, that nothing could be traced back to it, and therefore they didn't do anything. And they deliberately concealed the fact that they had much more detailed information—that the saw-cutting ship, Saluschnyi, the Baltic Sea, and so on. They were trying to cover up their own responsibility." (Ulrich Thiele) 32:57 "The Nord Stream sabotage was used to directly link it to the question of arms deliveries, to support for Ukraine, and to call into question German support for Ukraine. Regarding the close ties, we describe them in great detail in this book. Close ties between Wolfgang Schmidt and important, influential journalists in the capital. This closeness is notorious in political Berlin." (Ulrich Thiele) 43:02 "This case is a major political issue, precisely because the fact that it was Ukrainians who carried out the sabotage is being used by many sides, especially the AfD, BSW, and other pro-Russian groups, to question support for Ukraine. It's also a major political issue because it reopens old conflicts." (Ulrich Thiele)