During the blasts of the “Nord Stream 1” and “Nord Stream 2” gas pipelines, at least four explosive devices, each weighing from 14 to 27 kilograms, were placed at a depth of approximately 70-80 meters. The explosive was a mixture of hexogen and octogen, and the bombs were allegedly equipped with time-delay detonators.
This was reported by the German publication Tagesschau, referring to an arrest warrant for Ukrainian Serhii Kuznetsov, whom the German prosecutorʼs office accused of undermining the “Nord Stream” gas pipeline.
On August 21, Italian police arrested a Ukrainian citizen suspected of involvement in the “Nord Stream” sabotage in September 2022. It later became known that he was Sergei Kuznetsov. The Ukrainian denies the charges.
According to the German prosecutorʼs office, the Ukrainian and his accomplices used a sailing yacht, which they had previously rented through intermediaries from a German company using forged documents, to transport themselves to the site of the explosion.
German federal police believe that the Ukrainian allegedly got off a sailing yacht on September 22, was picked up by a driver and taken to Ukraine. German police have accused Kuznetsov of allegedly coordinating and leading a sabotage operation to blow up the “Nord Stream” gas pipeline.
Germany accuses Kuznetsov of “unconstitutional sabotage, intentional causing of an explosion and destruction of buildings”. The Ukrainian could face up to 15 years in prison.
“Nord Stream” explosions
On September 26, 2022, 3 explosions occurred on the “Nord Stream 1” and “Nord Stream 2” pipelines, which run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, causing massive gas leaks.
Only one of the four gas pipeline strands remained intact. Western media reported that Russia was shutting down Nord Stream because it was not going to repair it after the accidents.
The US, UK and EU governments have declared a deliberate sabotage. Russia believes that the US and its allies are interested in the bombings. Western and Russian media have written about different versions — from sabotage by the Russians themselves to the involvement of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied Ukraineʼs involvement in the sabotage.
In early February 2024, Sweden closed its investigation into the “Nord Stream” sabotage due to lack of jurisdiction. Following Sweden, Denmark also closed its investigation.
Germany is currently investigating the role of former Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhny in the “Nord Stream” sabotage, as reported by the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal. Zelensky allegedly initially approved the plan, but later ordered it canceled, and Zaluzhnyi continued the operation despite this.
In November 2024, the German newspaper Der Spiegel published an investigation that stated that the saboteurs who sabotaged “Nord Stream” also planned to blow up “TurkStream” in the Black Sea, but they failed.
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