Shortly before the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, the Bundeswehr registered Russian military ships at the later crime scene. The German Ministry of Defense has now confirmed this for the first time at the request of T-Online.
The government made all relevant information available to the federal prosecutor for his investigations. They must not be made public.
What have journalists discovered so far?
Last March, T-Online reported exclusively on a secret Russian convoy to the later attack sites, apparently triggering a response from NATO forces a few days before the attacks.
Part of the convoy were special ships for underwater missions, including the “SS-750” equipped with a mini-submarine and the jackship “SB-123”. The ships entered the area on September 21, 2022 and departed a day later. On September 26, the pipelines exploded.
Investigations by international media subsequently confirmed the details of the T-Online report. At first, Denmark told the local newspaper “Information” that it had taken pictures of the ships. Among others, some of the «SS-750».
A joint investigation by several Scandinavian television stations also revealed that a former British agent tapped the convoy’s radio, enabling its location – although the ships were not transmitting position data.
What do the German investigative services know?
It was initially unclear whether Germany had its own information about Russian shipping movements.
Speculation arose that the scout ship “Oste” stopped for two hours in the relevant area off Bornholm on 22 September on its way back from the annual autumn maneuvers on the north coast. At the same time there apparently Danish and Swedish ships and planes were chasing the Russian ships.
T-Online therefore submitted an application to the German Ministry of Defense under the Freedom of Information Act requesting all documents and communications on the Russian ships that were later sighted at the crime scene on September 21 and 22, in specifically all photos, videos and other documentation taken on board the “Oste”, as well as all other documentation of the specific six Russian military ships.
The ministry rejected the application, but not stating that there were no documents.
Instead, the German ministry argues that the information has been sent to the federal prosecutor’s office and that if it were made public, it could jeopardize the investigation. The written communication states:
It is the first official time that the Russian ships are part of the German investigation.
What do we know about Ukraine’s alleged trail?
Following the alleged sabotage, German, Danish and Swedish law enforcement agencies each launched their own investigations.
Sweden still considers a state actor to be the most likely variant. However, so far the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office and the Federal Criminal Investigation Service have mainly followed leads that are interpreted as traces to Ukraine. Accordingly, the attacks could have been carried out by a small team on a sailing yacht, as reported by “Zeit”, ARD and “Spiegel”.
However, the location of the tracks is not only viewed with suspicion in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Many in German security and expert circles also continue to believe that traces were deliberately laid in Ukraine in order to cover up the real perpetrators. Bruno Kahl, the chairman of the federal intelligence agency, said several weeks ago that there were indications “in all possible directions”.
It was only on Monday that the German private TV channel RTL reported that one of the suspected key persons is currently moving freely in Russia. This coincides with previously unpublished research by T-Online. Russia has requested a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the issue for Tuesday.
According to the latest reports, there is a Russian trace of the sailing yacht “Andromeda”, which, according to unconfirmed reports, was rented by Ukrainians: according to this, the ship was rented through a front company in Poland. And in the papers of this empty company appears a Russian woman who has been in Russia for some time. After the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia in 2014, the woman helped hold elections for the occupiers. She does not have a Ukrainian passport.
This woman could not be in Russia or move freely “if she had acted against the Russian state,” Kiesewetter argues. Because when the gas pipelines were blown up, a fortune worth millions was known to have been destroyed.
Sources
Other interesting articles:
(t-online/dsc)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
