Who carried out the attacks on Nord Stream 2? Even eight months after the crime, this is unclear. German investigations are now likely to lead to Ukraine.
Munich – Investigations into the explosions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline have been underway for months – also in Germany. Now there are apparently new developments: Current investigations by the Federal Prosecutor General probably lead to Ukrainian military circles, among others. This is the result of research by NDR, WDR, Süddeutsche Zeitung and the foreign media Expressen (Sweden), frontstory (Poland) and Berlingske (Denmark).
The focus of the new findings is once again on the sailing yacht "Andromeda", the media reported on Sunday (21 May). The "Bavaria Cruiser" ship is said to have started near Rostock in September 2022 with several people on board and stopped at the Danish island of Christiansö near the pipeline, among other places. On September 26, the Nord Stream attacks were carried out.
One of the crew members could have been a 26-year-old Ukrainian citizen. He may have served in the Ukrainian military in the past and, according to information from a relative at NDR, WDR and SZ, is now in the military of Ukraine in the defensive fight against Russia. However, according to this source, he did not leave Ukraine in September 2022. Another Ukrainian was probably not involved in the actual sabotage, but "in a supporting role", the three media write.
Nord Stream 2 explosion: Mystery about shell company in Poland – "traitor" in Crimea affected?
At the same time, another trail leads from the "Andromeda" to Ukraine, it said. The yacht was rented by a Polish company from Warsaw – which, however, states a woman living in Ukraine as "president" in official documents. She confirmed that she was at the helm of the company, but did not provide any further details.
The leak of the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline: The energy company Eon is thinking about repairing it. © -
According to investigators, it could be a shell company and its president a "straw woman", wrote NDR, WDR and SZ. The company operates as a travel agency and has not recorded any significant sales for years - but in 2020 it suddenly reached 2.8 million euros.
At that time, a 32-year-old also took over the company as owner, according to Expressen. Although she presented a Ukrainian passport to the Polish trade authorities, she now also has Russian citizenship. She works for a Russian authority and is listed by Ukraine as a "traitor" because of her cooperation with the occupiers. However, the woman denied any ownership and connection to the events on the phone.
Ukraine track at Nord Stream 2? New theses after the "ghost ships"
According to Expressen, the yacht had been spotted near the gas pipeline; German investigators had also discovered traces of military explosives that could be used underwater on the "Andromeda". The tabloid put the crew at six people: five men and one woman. They had arrived with a van with Polish license plates in the marina "Hohe Düne" north of Rostock.
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However, there are also many unanswered questions: Ukrainian government agencies, but also officials from Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany have not commented on the research, it said. Who is ultimately behind the attacks remains unclear, emphasized the German part of the research network. Even if Ukrainians were involved in the attack, this does not necessarily indicate the involvement or approval of the government in Kiev.
In recent months, there have been repeated reports of "Russian ghost ships" in the Baltic Sea – also in local and temporal proximity to the explosions at Nord Stream 2. According to the evaluation of satellite photos, there are no indications of the involvement of Russian ships. Experts from Great Britain and Denmark, however, had recently seen it differently. (fn
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