Germany identifies two suspects in Nord Stream sabotage case

The German Prosecutor General's Office has identified two suspects in the sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream-2 gas pipelines, the head of the agency, Jens Rommel, told Der Spiegel magazine on November 30.

"We have succeeded in identifying two suspects. From my point of view, this is a success that was not expected at the beginning," the RND publication quoted him as saying.

According to Rommel's assessment, there is still much to be done in the investigation. The subject of study at the moment are the identities of other participants in the sabotage, their motives and the question of possible control of the operation by any state, said the Attorney General of Germany.

Assessing the likelihood of Ukraine's involvement in the incident, Rommel pointed out that the investigation is based on the fact of damage to gas pipelines, which were supposed to provide an important part of gas supplies to Germany. He called their undermining a serious attack on the German energy supply, which "regardless of any political classification" was capable of destabilizing the economy and society.

Earlier on November 26, Polish radio reported that experts at the Military University of Technology in Warsaw had found TNT in analyses of a water sample from the site of the explosion of the gas pipelines. In this regard, Poland asked Denmark and Sweden to disclose the results of the investigation. In turn, the newspaper Die Welt wrote that at least six, not four explosive devices were used in the sabotage.

Before that, on November 20, a number of details about the "Nord Streams" undermining was published by Der Spiegel magazine. According to him, the sabotage was carried out by a group of Ukrainians, some of whom had connections with the CIA in the past, and the cost of the operation amounted to $300 thousand.

In September, the German government confirmed that several arrest warrants had been issued during the investigation into the JV bombings. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the country would make every effort to investigate and called for an unbiased investigation. The Kremlin agreed with the call, but Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed to the importance of sharing information instead of leaks.

Leaks at the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were discovered in September 2022. Two powerful underwater explosions were registered on the pipelines. Traces of explosives were found at the accident site. Russia is seeking an international investigation into the terrorist attacks. In February 2024, Putin said in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson that the CIA was responsible for the explosions.