It was a major geopolitical event. On September 26, 2022, almost a year ago, the two Nordstream gas pipelines that connect Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea were scuttled using explosives. Several investigations have since attempted to identify the perpetrators of this sabotage in a highly sensitive context due to the war in Ukraine.
1 min
Who destroyed the two Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, six months after the start of the war in Ukraine? To find out the answer, three countries bordering the Baltic Sea, Germany, Sweden and Denmark, have launched legal investigations. So far without results.
Ukrainian tracks
At first, suspicion was directed against Russia, who denied any involvement in the scuttling of the gas pipelines. But several investigations carried out by media such as New York Times or the German magazine Der Spiegel revealed trails leading to kyiv. According to American intelligence, cited by the New York Timesa pro-Ukrainian group is said to be behind the sabotage, but without having informed President Volodymyr Zelensky.
No clear answers
Following these clues, journalists from Spiegel rented a German sailboat which would have been used to transport the explosives. The objective was to recreate the attack on the gas pipelines. The investigation by German journalists reads like a thriller, but does not provide clear answers.
As speculation continues, Ukraine’s Western allies remain tight-lipped. If kyiv is ever involved in the scuttling, which the Ukrainian government denies, the matter would be very delicate to manage.
Read alsoSabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines: the “Andromeda” sailboat and the Ukrainian track at the heart of the investigation