Zelenskyy denies Ukraine was behind Nord Stream blasts
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted the Ukrainian state did not carry out the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline blasts, days after authorities detained a second Ukrainian suspect. Kyiv was aiding Germany’s probe, he said, tying that cooperation to maintaining the trust of Europe.
«We have discussed the matter with the German side at the highest level. They know very well that Ukraine was behind neither the planning nor the execution of the operation,» Zelenskyy said, as cited by local newspaper European Pravda.
He added that Ukrainian prosecutors and foreign ministry officials were already working with partner countries.
German prosecutors insisted that Vladimir Z., a trained diver arrested in Croatia on 19 August, belonged to the group that placed explosives on the pipelines. Investigators alleged that Serhii K., a former Ukrainian army officer now in German custody, led the group.
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The man has been charged with coordinating the attack while acting on behalf of Ukrainian state entities and denies involvement.
Underwater explosions damaged Nord Stream 1 and 2 in September 2022 near the Danish island of Bornholm. The pipelines were built to transport Russian gas to Germany, but Moscow had halted deliveries via Nord Stream 1, while its second stretch never went into service.
Zelenskyy has denied involvement before
Sunday’s remarks were not Zelenskyy’s first denial. In March 2023, he said Ukraine had nothing to do with the explosions and argued that reports suggesting otherwise risked weakening support for Kyiv, as Ukrainska Pravda reported at the time.
He repeated that position three months later, saying Ukraine’s armed forces and intelligence agencies had not carried out the attack and asking for evidence of any involvement, according to The Guardian.
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Earlier denials tackled leaked intelligence reports and media claims; the latest follows the arrests and the formal allegation that one suspect acted on behalf of the Ukrainian state.
