The US Embassy in Romania explains why the Ukrainian authorities do not confirm or deny the strikes on Russian facilities, recalling that this tactic was invented by the CIA in connection with the secret mission: “Project Azoryan”.

“We can neither confirm nor deny.” This answer may sound familiar to you from movies or press conferences, but do you know how it came about? It was invented by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and linked to a secret mission codenamed Project Azorian, the US Embassy explained in a post on its Facebook page.

It all started in 1968, when the Soviet submarine K-129 with ballistic nuclear missiles disappeared in the Pacific Ocean. Two months later, the Soviet Union stopped searching for the submarine and the nuclear weapons it carried, but the United States, which already had the technology to locate sunken submarines, was able to locate the K-129 at a depth of more than 5,000 meters, near Hawaii.

Wanting to avoid diplomatic tensions, the CIA created an elaborate “cover-up” story with the help of the mysterious billionaire Howard Hughes, who announced the construction of the Hughes Glomar Explorer, a deep-sea research vessel.

What is “Azorian Project”

In the summer of 1973, with the approval of President Richard Nixon, the Glomar Explorer traveled to the K-129 site. Two Soviet ships kept a close eye on the supposed research vessel as it worked to raise the submarine.

The psychological pressure exerted by the presence of the Russian ships forced the crew of the Glomar Explorer to pile crates on deck to prevent any attempt to land a Soviet helicopter. But the mission continued, and after about a week of slow progress, the #Azorian Project finally managed to raise the K-129, but only partially, as the submarine broke in two.

The Glomar Explorer also recovered the bodies of several K-129 crew members, giving them a military funeral at sea, which the CIA made sure to film and hand over to Russia 20 years later.

Coincidentally, its recovery also brought to the surface samples of manganese from the ocean floor, the material the Glomar Explorer was to search for. The CIA, however, was forced to cancel plans to recover the second part of the submarine.

PHOTO: Editorial Shutterstock / Profimedia Images

The role of the CIA in the story

After an accidental break-in at the headquarters of the Hughes Summa Corporation, which was acting as a front for the Glomar Explorer, classified documents were stolen and the story hit the press.

Under pressure from the Soviet ambassador to the United States and requests from journalists who invoked the Freedom of Information Act, CIA officials wanted to avoid directly admitting that they had found a Soviet submarine, but were forced to respond.

In an effort to maintain diplomatic relations with the USSR and comply with FOIA requirements, the “Glomar response” was coined: “We can neither confirm nor deny.”

The Azores Project was one of the most complex, expensive and secret intelligence operations of the Cold War, costing about $800 million, or $4 billion today.

Suits, parts of the Glomar Explorer, barometer and control panel of the K-129 submarine are on display at the International Espionage Museum in Washington.

These are relics of a daring Cold War mission that museum curator Vince Houghton likens to Ocean’s 11 heists, the US embassy concluded.

PHOTO: Facebook / US Embassy in Bucharest

Ukraine does not confirm whether it is behind the explosions in Crimea

Although it does not directly concern the Ukrainian authorities, the publication comes amid the fact that officials in Kyiv have refused to officially confirm or deny that the explosions that occurred at Russian bases in Crimea in recent days were the result of operations by the armed forces of Ukraine. .

When asked directly about it, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov declined to comment on whether his military was involved in the explosions at the ammunition depot in Crimea, joking that careless Russian soldiers did it.

“It seems to me that the Russian military at this airfield forgot a very simple rule: ‘do not smoke in dangerous places.’ That’s it,” he said during a visit to Denmark to meet with countries that support Ukraine.

Authorities in Kyiv followed the same approach to the bombings in Russia’s Belgorod region in late March, which were believed to be the first attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russian territory.

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