The signs are growing: Research shows that the Nord Stream pipelines were blown up by a small group.
It is still unclear who exactly is behind it.
Blow ups
of
Nord Stream pipelines
: Selenskyj consultant speaks of "conspiracy theories"
New
intelligence information
on
the Nord Stream blast
: group left Rostock for the Nord Stream pipeline.
New
details
on
Nord Stream blast
: group with ties to Ukraine responsible?
Update from March 8, 9:53 a.m .
: Russia blames the US and Great Britain secret services for the Nord Stream attacks – Moscow has taken the new speculation about the involvement of pro-Ukrainian groups critically.
Such information is being spread by those "who do not want to conduct investigations within the legal framework and are trying by all means to divert the attention of the public," Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, wrote on Telegram.
Zakharova demanded that Western governments now take an official position on the Russian inquiries and at least work through the research by US journalist Seymour Hersh.
Nord Stream blasts: Pistorius and Baerbock comment on speculation
Update from March 8, 9:37 a.m
.: "We'll have to wait and see": Defense Minister Boris Pistorius reacted cautiously to new Nord Stream speculation.
He takes note of the research results with great interest, said the SPD politician on
Deutschlandfunk
, but qualified: "To comment hypothetically now, what if, I don't think is expedient.
That needs to be clarified.”
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock apparently shares Pistorius' opinion.
"Of course we follow all reports and also all findings that are available from different actors very, very intensively," said the Green politician during her visit to the Iraqi Kurdish capital Erbil in response to a journalist's question.
Nord Stream speculation: Selenskyj consultant speaks of "conspiracy theories"
Update March 8, 8:19 a.m
.: Ukraine has rejected reports of possible involvement in the blasting of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
Ukraine has "nothing to do with the Baltic Sea incident and has no information about 'pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups,'" Ukrainian presidential aide Mikhail Podoliak tweeted on Tuesday (March 7).
"Although I love hearing entertaining conspiracy theories about the Ukrainian government, I have to say Kiev has nothing to do with it," Ukrainska
Pravda
translated from Podoljak's tweet.
The
New York Times
previously reported that the US government had found a pro-Ukrainian group to be behind the bombing.
There are no indications of an involvement of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj or his close circle.
+
Photo from March 2nd: Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mikhailo Podoliak in Kiev
© Ruslan Kaniuka/Imago
New intelligence information on Nord Stream blast: group left Rostock
March 7th Initial Report
: Washington, DC/Bornholm - Who is Responsible for the Blow Up of the Nord Stream Pipelines?
After a report of a targeted explosion by the US military, pro-Ukrainian groups are now being targeted.
According to
the New York Times,
there is corresponding intelligence information.
According to research by
ARD
,
SWR
and Die
Zeit
, the tracks lead in the direction of Ukraine.
Citing intelligence information, it was said that a pro-Ukrainian group could be responsible.
Authorities in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and the USA were involved in the investigation, reported
time online
on Tuesday evening (March 7).
"The Federal Public Prosecutor (GBA) has been investigating the matter since the beginning of October 2022," said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
The advisor in the Ukrainian presidential office, Mykhailo Podoliak, firmly denied any involvement by Ukraine.
Ukraine has nothing to do with the accident in the Baltic Sea and no information about pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups, he tweeted.
New details on the Nord Stream blast: pro-Ukrainian group responsible?
US officials also said they had no evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or his support staff were involved in the operation, or that the perpetrators were acting on orders from Ukrainian officials.
However, new findings at least indicated that opponents of Vladimir Putin were responsible for the attack.
According to the
New York Times
, US officials conceded that much was still unclear - such as who exactly carried out the demolitions, who ordered them and who financed the operation.
However, citing anonymous US intelligence agencies, it said there was a possibility that the operation was carried out unofficially by a proxy force with ties to the Ukrainian government or its security services.
Where these findings come from remains unclear.
Officials who reviewed the intelligence told the
Times
that the saboteurs were most likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals, or a combination of both.
Furthermore, neither American nor British nationals were involved.
Group of six allegedly blew up Nord Stream pipelines
A report from the
Tagesschau
The secret operation at sea is said to have been carried out by a team of six people: five men and one woman are said to be responsible.
Accordingly, the group consisted of a captain, two divers, two diving assistants and a doctor who, among other things, is said to have transported the explosives.
The perpetrators used fake passports to get there so they could rent boats.
They are said to have set sail from Rostock in a yacht on September 6th.
Their equipment had previously been brought to the port in a van.
Later, investigators could have located the boat in Wieck and then on the Danish island of Christiansö in north-east Bornholm.
Investigators also found traces of explosives on a table in the boat cabin.
The yacht is said to have been rented by a company based in Poland, apparently owned by two Ukrainians.
The explosive devices were most likely planted with the help of experienced divers who did not appear to work for the military or intelligence agency, US officials said.
However, it is possible that the perpetrators received special government training in the past.
The Ukrainian government and secret service, in turn, said they played no role in the attack and do not know who carried it out.
The communications director of the US government's National Security Council, John Kirby, referred to the ongoing investigations in Germany and Scandinavia: "We believe that it was an act of sabotage," he emphasized.
But first the investigation had to be ended.
Only then can we talk about how to proceed.
Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that he had no further comments.
Stoltenberg, on the other hand, stated that it was known that it was an attack, a sabotage.
It would be wrong to speculate about who is behind this before the investigation is complete.
Explosions in Nord Stream pipelines: Sweden assumes sabotage
In September, explosions in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark in the Baltic Sea caused several leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which were built to transport Russian gas to Germany.
The pipelines were not operating at the time of the explosions but contained gas.
According to Sweden, sabotage is behind the incident.
Accordingly, explosive residues were detected.
There has been much speculation as to who is behind the alleged sabotage.
One of the suspects was Russia itself, although it was unclear why the government in Moscow should blow up pipelines intended for the export of Russian natural gas.
The Russian government has denied any responsibility and pointed the finger at Washington.
The US government had opposed the construction of Nord Stream 2 and condemned the project as geopolitical leverage for the Kremlin.
Sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines: US investigative reporters already expressed suspicions in February
At the beginning of February, the well-known US investigative reporter Seymour Hersh caused a sensation with a report according to which the USA is said to have blown up the pipelines.
In June, US Navy divers planted explosive devices on the gas pipelines with the help of Norway in a covert operation ordered by the White House and planned by the US foreign intelligence agency CIA.
The explosive devices were then remotely detonated in September.
The US government has firmly denied this.
"This is completely false and a complete fabrication," said US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson.
Independent fact-checkers have pointed out inconsistencies in the Hersh report.
The journalist did not publish the report in a major medium but on his blog.
The 85-year-old also only refers to an anonymous source.
In the
NY Times
report, too, secret service employees only speak under the cloak of anonymity.
(as/nak/dpa/AFP)
List of rubrics: © IMAGO/Pavel Kashaev
