Ukraine’s involvement in Nord Stream sabotage has not been established, - Prosecutor General’s Office
As part of the investigation into the criminal proceedings concerning the Russian Federation’s waging of an aggressive war against Ukraine and the enemy’s commission of other unlawful acts against our state, the Office of the Prosecutor General has reviewed information regarding the sabotage of the "Nord Stream 1" and "Nord Stream 2" gas pipelines.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General, according to Censor.NET.
No evidence of Ukraine's involvement has been established
As noted, as part of these proceedings, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are conducting the necessary investigative and other procedural actions, including questioning witnesses and gathering information relevant to establishing the circumstances of the incident.
Based on the results of the work already conducted and the information obtained, "at this time, no facts have been established that would indicate the involvement of the State of Ukraine, its authorized bodies, or officials in the commission of these unlawful acts, nor that they issued any orders, instructions, directives, or guidelines on behalf of Ukraine regarding the sabotage of the aforementioned gas pipelines," the statement reads.
At the same time, the investigation into these circumstances is not yet complete, and the collection and analysis of the necessary evidence are still ongoing.
Ukraine is cooperating with German authorities
In addition, the Office of the Prosecutor General took note of a report from the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Germany regarding the filing of an indictment in the case involving the sabotage of "Nord Stream 1" and "Nord Stream 2."
We emphasize that the filing of charges is a procedural decision by the prosecution and does not constitute a finding of guilt or a final assessment of the circumstances of the criminal proceedings. "A person’s guilt in committing a crime is confirmed exclusively by a final and binding court verdict, issued following a comprehensive examination of all evidence obtained, in compliance with the rights and procedural safeguards of all participants in the criminal proceedings," the prosecutor’s office added.
The Ukrainian side continues to cooperate with the relevant German authorities. In particular, as part of the response to the request from the German authorities, the necessary investigative and procedural steps are being taken. The relevant German authorities will be immediately informed of the results. Ukraine is ready to assist in establishing all the facts of the matter.
In addition, information regarding the sabotage of the "Nord Stream 1" and "Nord Stream 2" gas pipelines has been entered into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations. As part of this criminal proceeding, a request will be sent to the relevant German authorities to establish a joint investigative team for the purpose of promptly exchanging information.
What happened before that?
- As a reminder, on July 1, the German Attorney General filed formal charges for the first time against Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov, who is suspected of involvement in the sabotage of the "Nord Stream 1" and "Nord Stream 2" gas pipelines on September 26, 2022.
The Sabotage of the "Nord Stream" Pipelines
- On September 26, 2022, three 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.
- The governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the EU have stated that this was a deliberate act of sabotage.
- In early February 2024, Sweden closed its investigation into the bombing of the "Nord Stream" pipeline due to lack of jurisdiction.
- Subsequently, Germany issued arrest warrants for all suspects in the 2022 sabotage attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines. All of them are Ukrainian citizens.
- The Bologna Court of Appeals ruled to extradite Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov to Germany.
- On October 1, the Warsaw District Court ruled to remand Ukrainian national Volodymyr Zh. into custody for seven days; German authorities suspect him of involvement in the 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
- On October 6, the Warsaw Regional Court extended by 40 days the detention of Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zh.
- The Bologna Court of Appeals upheld the decision to extradite to Germany Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov, who is suspected of involvement in the 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
- Later, the Italian Constitutional Court authorized the extradition of Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov to Germany.
- On November 27, Italy extradited Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov to Germany.
- On November 28, Kuznetsova was taken into custody in Germany.
- According to media reports, Kuznetsov served in the Special Operations Forces.
