Berlin: Volodymyr Zelensky knew nothing about the Nord Stream explosion

Two-year journalistic investigation into the sabotage of the "Nord Stream" gas pipelines has shown that the operation was approved by the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny, writes Der Spiegel.

The German newspaper claimed that the sabotage team consisted of several Ukrainian divers, almost all of whom were civilians. The publication believes that the operation was directed and planned by former Ukrainian intelligence agent Roman Chervinsky. The Ukrainian assembled the team and trained it.

The cost of the operation was almost 300,000 dollars (537,000 BGN) and according to internal sources of the German publication, it was financed by private individuals. The operation was approved by Valery Zaluzhny, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, was not informed. "U.S. attempts to stop the operation have failed," the article states.

According to the German newspaper, preparations for the operation began several years before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

At the first stage, the command was looking for divers capable of working at a depth of up to 100 meters and ready to take serious risks for their health, the newspaper said. The operation involved a team of several men and one woman who operated under false names.

They placed several explosive devices on the pipelines running under the Baltic Sea and blew up three of the four pipes of the "Nord Stream 1" and "Nord Stream 2,", the article claims. The journalists stated that the group used the sailing yacht "Andromeda".

On the night of September 26, 2022, three of the four lines of the "Nord Stream 1" and "Nord Stream 2" were destroyed by explosions at the bottom of the Baltic Sea in neutral waters. At that time, the two gas pipelines were not in operation, but were filled with process gas.

Poland and Ukraine blamed Russia for the blasts, while Moscow blamed the West and denied involvement.

German media quoted sources as saying that the yacht used by the group of suspected bombers belonged to Ukrainian citizens.

The adviser to the head of the presidential office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that Ukraine had nothing to do with blowing up the gas pipeline.

"I am the president and I give the appropriate orders. Ukraine has done nothing of the sort. I would never do it," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in June 2023.

In February 2024, Danish law enforcement authorities closed their investigation into the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline explosions. and "Nord Stream 2" due to lack of grounds for initiating criminal proceedings. Sweden made a similar decision.