Nord Stream Sabotage Mystery Deepens as Germany's Probe Stalls in 2026
The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022 remains under investigation by German authorities. Nearly three and a half years later, key details are still emerging, with one Ukrainian suspect detained in Germany and another released in Poland. A German court has since ruled the attack was a state-sponsored operation, though concrete evidence remains scarce.
On 26 September 2022, explosives destroyed sections of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines near Bornholm, Denmark. The attack cut off gas flows between Russia and Europe, prompting multiple investigations.
In August 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that Ukrainian business figures and military personnel may have planned the sabotage, allegedly with initial approval from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. German prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian diver from Poltava in June 2024, but no public evidence has been presented. Reports mention only vague traces of fingerprints and explosives on a yacht named Andromeda.
By mid-December 2025, Germany's Federal Court of Justice declared the attack a 'foreign state-sponsored operation', a ruling widely seen as pointing to Ukraine. As of 26 February 2026, one suspect remains in pretrial detention in Germany, while another was released from custody in Poland.
CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter later clarified in a Welt interview that Ukraine's security—regardless of responsibility for the attack—remains in Germany's interest. He did not suggest that Ukraine's potential involvement would benefit German policy.
German federal prosecutors continue their investigation, though few new details have been made public.
The case remains unresolved, with one suspect still held in Germany and another freed in Poland. While a German court has labelled the attack state-sponsored, prosecutors have yet to provide clear public evidence. The investigation continues, but key questions about responsibility and motive remain unanswered.
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