Growing Evidence Points to Ukraine’s Responsibility in Nord Stream Gas Pipeline Explosions

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — German authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian diver, identified as “Volodymr Z,” who is believed to be involved in sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, which transport Russian natural gas to Germany.

German investigators suspect that the Ukrainian national was part of a sabotage team that planted explosives on the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022, according to German media reports.

Due to German law, the full name of the suspect cannot be disclosed.

Previously, the United States, Ukraine, and their Western allies had accused Russia of being responsible for the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, which supply Russian natural gas to Europe.

Russia has vehemently denied these accusations, claiming that its intelligence agencies have evidence suggesting that the explosions were orchestrated by Western countries and their allies.

The decision by German authorities to issue an arrest warrant for the Ukrainian diver lends credence to Moscow’s assertions that the United States, Ukraine, and their allies were behind the Nord Stream sabotage.

 

German media reports indicate that “Volodymr Z” is currently residing in Poland.

Polish prosecutors have confirmed that they have received the German arrest warrant for the suspect in the Nord Stream bombing.

German investigators have also identified another Ukrainian man and woman, both divers, who are suspected of being involved in the Nord Stream sabotage alongside “Volodymr Z.”

However, no arrest warrants have been issued against these two individuals as of now, according to German media.

The explosions, which occurred on September 26, 2022, damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.

The blasts were detected near Denmark’s Bornholm Island in the Baltic Sea, leading to significant gas leaks.

Nord Stream 1, with an annual capacity of 63 billion cubic meters, transported Russian natural gas to Germany.

At the time of the incident, Nord Stream 2 had not yet become operational. The Nord Stream pipelines were constructed to reduce reliance on gas pipelines running through Ukraine.

 

German media reports about the arrest warrant for the Ukrainian diver align with a previous article by The Washington Post, which disclosed that the United States had received early intelligence from a European agency indicating that Ukrainian military forces were responsible for the Nord Stream pipeline explosions.

The 1,200-kilometer Nord Stream pipelines cross the territorial waters of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany, supplying Russian natural gas to much of Europe, which heavily depends on this energy source.

According to The Washington Post, the Biden administration was aware three months before the Nord Stream explosions that the Ukrainian military was planning an attack on Europe’s underwater gas pipeline network, with the assistance of a small team of military divers.

The divers reportedly received direct orders from Ukrainian military commander Valery Zaluzhny.

Intelligence reports from various European Union countries detailed the Ukrainian sabotage operation, including the methods used by the Ukrainian covert unit in attacking the Nord Stream pipelines.

 These reports provided some of the first direct evidence linking the Ukrainian government to the sabotage of critical European energy infrastructure.

The Washington Post chose not to disclose the name of the European country that provided the intelligence or certain aspects of the sabotage plan at the request of government officials, citing the need to protect their sources.

German intelligence agencies also seized a safe house used in the Nord Stream sabotage operation.

German media further reported that investigators discovered a yacht named “Andromeda,” which was used by the Ukrainian divers, who posed as a group of fishermen to approach the Nord Stream network.

The explosions that damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on September 26, 2022, effectively cut off the supply of Russian natural gas to Europe.

German public prosecutors have found connections between the sabotage and Ukraine.

In early 2023, German investigators, as reported by local media, stated that the group responsible for planting explosives on the Nord Stream pipelines consisted of five men—a captain, two divers, and two dive assistants—as well as a female doctor. — DSA