The German Investigation Identified a Ukrainian Cell of Five Men and One Woman As Participants in the Sabotage in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday reaffirmed that Ukraine played no role in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, contradicting the findings of a German investigation. "Ukraine has never officially participated in any operation related to the Nord Stream sabotage, Zelensky told the press, according to via Agerpres. German prosecutors concluded last month that the underwater explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipeline system were carried out on the orders of the Ukrainian state.

Zelensky, who has consistently denied any Ukrainian involvement, added that Germany is "perfectly aware of the fact that Ukraine was neither at the origin, nor the execution, nor even the planning of this operation. The president said Ukraine is cooperating with Germany in the investigation and expressed hope the case will not harm bilateral relations, especially as Germany is Ukraine's main European supporter in the war with Russia. It is very important for us not to lose our partnership, not to lose the trust of the European countries that have helped Ukraine since the beginning of this war, Zelensky stressed.

The question came after a Ukrainian citizen suspected of participating in the Nord Stream sabotage was arrested Wednesday in Croatia. According to the German prosecutor's office, the man collaborated with another Ukrainian who was arrested in Italy last year and has since been handed over to Germany. On September 26, 2022, an underwater explosion damaged one of the two pipelines of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline near the Danish island of Bornholm.

Other explosions at the same time and in the same area damaged both pipelines of the Nord Stream 1 system, through which Germany had imported Russian gas since 2011. Germany, Sweden, and Denmark opened judicial investigations after the sabotage. The two Scandinavian countries closed their inquiries in 2024, but the German investigation identified a Ukrainian cell of five men and one woman as participants. Although a section of Nord Stream 2 remains usable, Berlin has refused Russian proposals to deliver gas through it, citing the invasion of Ukraine and the EU's new policy to reduce Russian natural gas imports.