Europe split over Nord Stream sabotage investigation — Wall Street Journal

Nord Stream investigation and Ukraine's involvement

According to the agency, for three years, a team of German detectives gathered every morning at the federal police headquarters in Potsdam, trying to figure out who was behind the explosions of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

The investigation came to a conclusion that could cause tension in Europe: an elite Ukrainian military unit was allegedly behind the operation.

According to the German police and prosecutor's office, a clear picture has been developed of how the elite Ukrainian military unit carried out the attacks under the direct leadership of the then commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

Investigators tracked boat rental companies, phone numbers, and license plates, which led to arrest warrants for three soldiers from the special unit and four veteran deep-sea divers. According to German investigators, the goal of the operation was to reduce Russia's oil revenues and limit its economic ties with Germany.

The decisive evidence was a grainy black-and-white photograph showing the face of a Ukrainian diver.

Using facial recognition software, investigators quickly identified his profiles on social networks and professional databases.

Suspects taken away by diplomats

One of the divers was allegedly transported from Poland to Ukraine in a car with diplomatic plates, driven by a Ukrainian military attaché. The Ukrainian government has not commented on the incident.

Another suspect, the group's commander, was detained in Italy. He was identified as Serhii K., a 46-year-old veteran of the Security Service of Ukraine who participated in the defense of Kyiv at the beginning of the Russian invasion. Before his arrest, he had been tracked for several months, including his routes through Poland, Czechia, and Italy.

When Serhii was led out of court, he raised three fingers in the shape of the Ukrainian trident, showing his support for his homeland. His lawyer said that his client was innocent, and even if he had acted, it was within the scope of a military operation to defend Ukraine, and therefore, he had immunity.

Political consequences for Europe

Now that the case is being prepared for trial, Berlin fears a rift among Ukraine's allies. The Italian court's decision on the extradition of Serhii K. could determine whether the Nord Stream case will turn into a diplomatic crisis.

Nord Stream gas pipeline sabotage

In September 2022, two lines of the Nord Stream gas pipeline and one line of Nord Stream 2 were depressurized as a result of an explosion near the Danish island of Bornholm.

In August this year, the German prosecutor's office reported the arrest in Italy of Ukrainian citizen Serhii Kuznetsov. He had been imprisoned in the resort town of Riccione since August 21, and on September 16, a court in Italy ruled to extradite Kuznetsov to Germany.

His defense appealed the decision. At the end of October, the Bologna Court of Appeals upheld the decision to extradite Kuznetsov.

Kuznetsov also went on hunger strike in an Italian prison.

In addition, on September 30, Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zh. was detained in Poland on suspicion of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines. He was wanted under a European arrest warrant issued by German intelligence.

In October, a court in Poland decided to refuse to extradite the suspect to Germany and ordered his immediate release.