Last summer, German authorities requested the detention of a Ukrainian diving instructor, which a group of German journalistswhich is investigating the sabotage, was the first to report.
The Ukrainian diver was in Poland when the arrest warrant was issued, but no arrest was made and two weeks later he was missing. Two more Ukrainian citizens are suspected in the investigation.
Sabotage against Nord Stream
Three Ukrainians suspected of sabotaging Nord Stream
French media points out mastermind behind Nord Stream sabotage
SVT Nyheter has spoken to Florian Flade, security reporter at the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung who is part of the group of journalists investigating the sabotage against Nord Stream.
– The investigation points to several Ukrainian suspects, but there is no evidence that the Ukrainian government is behind the attack, even if that suspicion exists, says Florian Flade.
Zelenskyy gave the green light to the attack
An article from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) sheds new light on the Ukrainian government’s involvement in the sabotage.
According to sources within the Ukrainian military, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has given his approval to the attack, but after pressure from the CIA changed his mind and gave orders to stop the planning instead.
According to the WSJ, however, Ukraine’s former Prime Minister Valery Zaluzhny in turn ignored the president’s orders and allowed the plans to continue.
– What I am reacting to is that, according to the WSJ’s sources, there was no way to stop the attack. This raises the question why Zelenskyy as president of Ukraine could not stop this attack if he wanted to stop it, says Florian Flade.
Both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Valery Zaluzhny have denied their involvement in the attack.
“The whole thing was born out of a night of heavy drinking”
Sources within the Ukrainian military tell the WSJ that the idea to blow up the Nord Stream was born during a party night in May 2022, when Ukrainian officers and businessmen had gathered to celebrate Ukraine’s progress in the war.
– The whole thing was born out of an evening of heavy drinking, and out of the iron will of a group that had the courage to risk their lives for their country, one of the sources involved told the WSJ.
According to the WSJ, the plans culminated in the attack being carried out by six people on a sailboat rented in Germany. The crew were specially trained, four of them divers. Something that is consistent with the German investigation, whose information points to the attack being carried out on a sailboat.