Ukraine Did Not Sabotage the Russian Nord Stream Gas Pipeline — Zelenskyy
The Ukrainian government has not participated in any operation involving the sabotage of the “Nord Stream 2” gas pipeline.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made this statement during a meeting with journalists on August 23. He noted that the issue is not a matter of who wants what. According to the president, Ukraine has never officially participated in any operation related to the sabotage of “Nord Stream 2.” An investigation is currently underway, involving charges and relevant witnesses.
The president also emphasized that Ukraine has discussed this matter at a high level with the German side—and not for the first time.
He said that Ukraine’s partners are well aware that Ukraine was not behind the planning or execution of the operation in question and has no connection to it. There are details surrounding what took place, and where citizens—including those from Ukraine—are involved, the investigation is ongoing; the president believes that all relevant findings are yet to come.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine is always ready to assist its partners and is already doing so: the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are handling this, and contacts are ongoing.
The president emphasized that it is important for Ukraine not to lose the partnership and trust of European countries that have been helping since the start of the war, which is why Ukraine is open to joint steps in the investigation and in clarifying all the circumstances of those events.
As a reminder, the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office has officially charged Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov in the case involving the sabotage of the “Nord Stream” gas pipelines. The agency’s statement notes that he and other members of the group acted as Ukrainian military personnel.
The investigation into the alleged sabotage of the “Nord Stream” gas pipelines is now entering a new phase. The defense attorneys for Ukrainian soldier Serhiy Kuznetsov reported that they had received the indictment from the German side just the day before. According to them, they now have about two months to review the case materials in detail and prepare their defense.
In Germany, charges have been filed against a Ukrainian in the Nord Stream case.
