According to journalists, a group of 6 people planted explosives under gas pipelines. And Western intelligence agencies have found out that the responsibility for the explosion is supposedly a Ukrainian commando.
German investigating authorities have achieved a breakthrough in the case of blowing up the Russian gas pipelines “Nord Stream”. Traces lead to Ukraine, but the customer of the operation remains unknown, writes the German newspaper Die Zeit.
The vessel, from which the pipelines could be blown up, was rented by a company in Poland. Probably, the organization belonged to two citizens of Ukraine, indicated in Berlin.
According to investigators, a secret operation to plant explosives was carried out by a group of 6 people – 5 men and 1 woman. It consisted of a captain, 2 divers, 2 assistant divers and a doctor. All used professionally forged passports, with the help of which they rented a ship.
The group, as noted by the publication, left the German city of Rostock on September 6, 2022. It is alleged that the equipment for the covert operation was brought to the port in advance by truck.
Operatives found the ship the next day in the commune of Vik na Dars, and then on the Danish island of Christians, northeast of the island of Bornholm. The ship was returned to the owner.
During searches, traces of explosives were found on the table in the cabin. In the fall, Western intelligence agencies transmitted a tip that allegedly a “Ukrainian special forces officer” was responsible for the explosion. Further, additional intelligence appeared, pointing to the trail of a “pro-Ukrainian group.”
The security services of Germany, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United States were involved in the investigation of the destruction of the pipelines. In Germany, the Attorney General and the Criminal Division of the Federal Police are investigating.
“Even if the traces lead to Ukraine, it has not yet been possible to find out who ordered the explosion. In this case, evidence could have been deliberately created pointing to the guilt of Ukraine. The investigators did not find evidence confirming such a scenario,” the interlocutors of the publication noted.
Explosions at Nord Stream: Washington hopes for an investigation of the EU countries
Washington declined to comment on new data about the blowing up of Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipelines, White House strategic communications coordinator John Kirby said at a briefing. writes on Twitter by Daily Beast correspondent Shannon Vavra.
Kirby suggested that the investigating countries Germany, Sweden and Denmark be contacted for comment. These countries continue to investigate the incidents.
The American newspaper The New York Times, referring to new intelligence and comments by officials, previously wrote about the “Ukrainian trace” in the case of undermining the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
Explosives, according to the media, could have been planted by experienced divers who had undergone special training in the past. The cost of repairing gas pipelines starts at $500 million, officials interviewed by the newspaper calculated.
Adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak said that Kyiv was not involved in the “incident in the Baltic Sea.” “Nord streams” drowned, he added.
It should be noted that Moscow does not plan to repair the Nord Streams, arguing this by the deterioration of relations with the West.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the Nord Stream accident a deliberate sabotage and threatened a “strong response.”
