German investigators link Nord Stream undermining to AFU unit and Zaluzhnyi's leadership - WSJ

German law enforcement officers believe that a group of Ukrainian military personnel suspected of undermining on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea could have acted under the leadership of the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

This was reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The article notes that German police, prosecutors and other participants in the investigation allegedly gathered a "fairly complete picture" of the operation, which is attributed to an "elite Ukrainian unit." The investigation links the sabotage to the intention to weaken russian energy revenues and economic influence on Europe, in particular on Germany.

Investigators traced the routes of leased vessels, telephone communications and the movements of the suspects. According to the publication, the key piece of evidence was a photo of a Ukrainian diver from a speed camera. His identity was identified using facial recognition programs and related profiles were found on social networks.

Separately, the publication mentions a 46-year-old SSU veteran, who is called Serhii K. He was detained in Italy, and a court decision is currently awaited on the possibility of extradition to Germany. According to WSJ, the German side has already prepared a plane for his transportation to Hamburg.

The Ukrainian authorities, as before, have not provided official comments on these allegations. We will remind, Kyiv has previously repeatedly denied the involvement of the state or the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in October 2022, German investigators confirmed that the damage to the Nord Stream pipeline was caused by a series of underwater explosions.

In March 2023, the American publication The New York Times stated that a pro-Ukrainian group, which acted without the knowledge of the Ukrainian authorities, was allegedly involved in the sabotage of the gas pipelines.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that a Polish court had refused to extradite a Ukrainian suspected of sabotage of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany and had released him. The Polish Prime Minister welcomed the decision.