Die Zeit: The investigation has reconstructed the group involved in the sabotage of the "Nord Streams"

Die Zeit: The investigation has reconstructed the group involved in the sabotage of the "Nord Streams"

The newspaper Die Zeit from Germany published details of an investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in the fall of 2022, conducted jointly with Süddeutsche Zeitung and channel ARD. According to the materials, the investigation has identified all the probable members of the group accused of the attack and issued arrest warrants for them.

The investigation began with evidence found on the yacht Andromeda — a 15-meter sailing boat Bavaria Cruiser 50, from which, according to German authorities, the group of saboteurs operated. Experts recorded DNA traces and fingerprints on the vessel, as well as discovered particles of explosives (octogen and hexogen) that matched the remains of an explosive device raised from the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

One of the key moments was the coincidence: on the night of September 8, 2022, a camera captured on the island of Rügen a white Citroën car belonging to a courier company. The driver told the police that he repeatedly transported residents of Ukraine from Kyiv to Germany. German and Polish law enforcement agencies reconstructed the routes and identified the passengers crossing the border. Although fictitious names were used — "Yevhen Khomenets," "Vsevolod Mychko," "Serhiy Kulinich" — the photos and passports were genuine Ukrainian documents, which, according to investigators, indicates support from high-ranking structures in Kyiv.

German authorities identified several participants. Among them was a diving instructor from Kyiv, Volodymyr S., identified from a photo from a traffic surveillance camera. After the attack, he hid in Poland, but when an arrest warrant was filed in 2024, he managed to escape: he was transported by a car registered to a Ukrainian military attaché. Another suspect was a 53-year-old Ukrainian military man Vsevolod K., who had previously undergone training at the Bundeswehr center in Wildflecken; he died in combat in eastern Ukraine in December 2024. His DNA matched samples found on the Andromeda.

Investigators believe that seven persons participated in the operation: four divers, an explosives expert, a skipper, and Serhiy K., recently detained in Italy. Yevhen U. later joined the group, who, according to the investigation, could have delivered part of the explosives after a failed attempt to attack the Turkish Stream pipeline.

Special attention is paid to Valeria T., a 40-year-old professional diver who previously taught at a diving school in Kyiv. She is known for holding the Ukrainian record for deep-water dives (104 meters) and, according to colleagues, was distinguished by determination. On social networks, T. spoke sharply against Russia and expressed support for the Ukrainian army. According to data from Kyiv, she insisted on completing the operation when other crew members hesitated due to unfavorable weather conditions.

The Andromeda was allegedly commanded by an experienced skipper from Odesa, who operated under the fictitious names "Mykhaylo Popov" and "Yuriy Kotenko." He has extensive maritime experience: he crossed the Atlantic, participated in regattas, and worked in various regions of the world. His fingerprints were found on the vessel.

Thus, as Die Zeit summarizes, German investigators managed to reconstruct the composition of the group and the circumstances of the operation, showing that seven Ukrainians participated in the bombing of the Nord Streams, acting with genuine documents and likely with support from official Ukrainian structures.