German investigators have reportedly identified the individuals responsible for sabotaging the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. According to Die Zeit, citing results of a joint investigation with Süddeutsche Zeitung and ARD, all suspects have been named, with some still at large. One was arrested in Italy, while another is believed to have died in Ukraine.
Seven-Member Team Behind Pipeline Blasts
The investigation revealed that a total of seven Ukrainians participated in the sabotage, operating from the yacht Andromeda. The group reportedly included four divers, an explosives expert, a skipper, and a coordinator. Among them were diving instructors Vladimir Ts. and 40-year-old Valeria T., a man named Yevgeny U., and the ship’s captain, Yuri T. The coordinator, Sergei Kuznetsov, was arrested in Italy and identified as a former employee of Ukraine’s domestic intelligence service.
German prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for six Ukrainian nationals. One suspect, Vsevolod K., was reported killed in eastern Ukraine in December 2024 during combat operations. Kuznetsov became only the second person officially wanted in Europe over the Nord Stream case, following an arrest warrant issued in August 2024 for Ukrainian national Vladimir Ts., who fled to Poland after the sabotage.
Earlier, Spiegel had reported possible involvement of former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces and ambassador to the UK, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, though it was claimed that President Volodymyr Zelensky was not informed of the operation.
Ties to Ukrainian Intelligence Suggested
Investigators established that some members of the Andromeda crew had clear connections to Ukrainian intelligence or military structures at the time. Evidence was found linking Kuznetsov to Ukraine’s internal intelligence service. The suspects reportedly moved through Poland using genuine Ukrainian passports under false identities. However, investigators stated that it remains unproven whether the operation was directly ordered by the Ukrainian government.
“There are indications that some of the accused are very close to the Ukrainian state and show a strong sense of patriotism,” ARD reported.
Another version suggests the sabotage could have been carried out by a hired group working on behalf of a third party. Journalists noted that when Kuznetsov was arrested in Italy last week, he made a hand gesture resembling the Ukrainian trident symbol.
During a court hearing, Kuznetsov gave his residence as a residential complex on the outskirts of Kyiv, described as having guest and underground parking, security cameras, a kindergarten, and sports and children’s playgrounds, according to RIA Novosti.
