Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has strongly denied that Ukraine was involved in the explosions that destroyed parts of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, as a German investigation into the sabotage continues to focus on Ukrainian nationals.
Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had never officially taken part in any operation connected to the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines. He also said Kyiv was cooperating with the German investigation and hoped the case would not damage relations between Ukraine and Germany.
The renewed controversy comes after German investigators arrested a second Ukrainian national suspected of taking part in the attack. The man was detained in Croatia on August 19 under a European arrest warrant issued by Germany. German prosecutors accuse him of being a trained diver who was part of a group involved in placing explosives near the pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
The arrest has added fresh pressure to an investigation that has remained one of the most closely watched mysteries of the war in Ukraine. The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were damaged by a series of underwater explosions on September 26, 2022. The pipelines were designed to carry Russian natural gas to Germany through the Baltic Sea.
The explosions occurred several months after Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine and caused major damage to the pipeline system. The incident immediately triggered international speculation about who was responsible. Russia, Ukraine and Western countries exchanged accusations, while investigators in several European countries worked to establish what happened.
Germany has now become the main focus of the investigation. German prosecutors have brought charges against a Ukrainian national who is accused of helping coordinate the operation. Investigators allege that a group used a yacht and diving equipment as part of a plan to reach the pipelines and place explosives underwater.
German authorities have also suggested that the suspected operation may have been carried out on behalf of Ukrainian state authorities. That allegation is politically sensitive because Germany remains one of Ukraine's most important supporters in its war against Russia.
Kyiv has repeatedly rejected the allegations. Zelenskyy's latest comments were particularly significant because they came shortly after the arrest of the second Ukrainian suspect. The Ukrainian president said Germany was aware of Ukraine's position and insisted that Kyiv did not stand behind either the planning or execution of the pipeline attack.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General had also rejected allegations of Ukrainian government involvement earlier this year and proposed closer cooperation with Germany on the investigation. Kyiv has maintained that it wants the facts surrounding the explosions to be established.
The latest developments do not, however, provide a final answer about who ordered the sabotage. The arrest of Ukrainian nationals and the allegations made by German prosecutors are important developments, but they do not by themselves establish that the Ukrainian government or Zelenskyy personally authorised the attack.
That distinction is becoming increasingly important as the legal case develops. German prosecutors are pursuing individual suspects, while Ukraine is denying any official role. The question of whether the suspects acted independently or were operating under instructions from Ukrainian state authorities remains at the centre of the dispute.
The case could also have wider diplomatic consequences. Germany has provided extensive military and financial support to Ukraine since Russia's invasion. Any proven involvement by Ukrainian state institutions in an attack on critical infrastructure could create political difficulties between Kyiv and Berlin.
For now, however, the investigation remains unfinished. The recent arrests have brought investigators closer to identifying the people who allegedly carried out the operation, but the question of who ultimately ordered the Nord Stream explosions remains unresolved.
Zelenskyy's latest denial therefore comes at a crucial moment. While Germany continues to pursue the suspects through the European legal system, Ukraine is seeking to make clear that the actions of individuals accused in the case should not be treated as proof of official Ukrainian involvement.
The Nord Stream investigation is likely to remain a sensitive issue for both countries as German authorities continue gathering evidence and pursuing the suspects. Any further evidence about the planning, financing or alleged chain of command behind the operation could have major consequences for the political debate surrounding one of Europe's most controversial acts of infrastructure sabotage.