Three years after the Bornholm explosions, the German investigation into Nord Stream is moving forward. According to a joint investigation by Die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung and ARD, all members of the alleged commando have been identified. The group was said to consist of seven people, all citizens of Ukraine. Six of them are believed to be alive and investigators have issued European arrest warrants against them, with the seventh allegedly killed on the front in eastern Ukraine in late 2024. Official German authorities have not yet confirmed this information, referring to the ongoing investigation.
A significant development occurred this August when Italian police arrested Serhii K., who was supposed to have played a key role in organizing the operation, on the basis of a German arrest warrant. The Federal Prosecutor General issued a brief statement after the arrest, saying the man was part of a group of perpetrators who planted explosives on the pipeline in September 2022. He also recalled that the commando had used the Andromeda sailing ship, which set sail from Rostock and was chartered on false documents.
Journalists have managed to obtain more detailed information about the identity of the suspects. According to Die Zeit, investigators stumbled upon a clue thanks to the fact that the Ukrainian passports used by the commando to travel through Poland were original documents issued under assumed names. This made it possible to match the persons with fingerprints, movements across the border and traces of explosives found on board the yacht.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung also describes the division of roles within the team: there was to be a coordinator, four divers (including one woman), an explosives specialist and the captain of the ship. According to ARD, the group travelled through Poland and in one case the suspect was transported back to Kiev in the car of a military attaché, which - if confirmed - would indicate support from official structures. However, the Ukrainian government has repeatedly denied any involvement in the sabotage.
The investigation thus stands on the edge between what can be proven in court and what investigative journalists bring to the table. The Attorney General's Office remains reticent and confines itself to the officially confirmed facts - the arrest in Italy and the use of the Andromeda sailing ship. While the journalists claim that the entire team has already been identified, the presumption of innocence and the emphasis on evidentiary procedures apply to the state authorities.
The decision of the Italian courts to extradite Serhiy K. to Germany may bring further developments. If this happens, it may for the first time publicly confirm part of what has so far remained a non-public part of the investigation files. In the meantime, the picture of the alleged Ukrainian commando consists mainly of investigative reports that have caused considerable political tension but have not yet been fully corroborated by official documents.
gnews.cz - GH
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