Nord Stream investigation: this is what we know about “traces of explosives” on a sailing yacht Zelenskyy: defense of Ukraine is a priority – the night at a glance

While investigating the explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, investigators said they found traces of explosives on a suspicious sailing yacht.

“In the samples taken from the boat during the investigation, traces of underwater explosives were found,” German UN ambassador Antje Leendertse and the ambassadors of Denmark and Sweden told the UN Security Council in New York.

The letter is available from press agency DPA and T-Online. It goes on to say there is a suspicionthat the sailing yacht was used to transport the explosives used in the sabotage of the pipelines.

The three country representatives emphasized to the most powerful UN body that the investigations are ongoing:

It is also not clear from the ambassadors’ letter whether traces of explosives were discovered during the investigation of the “Andromeda”.

The Russian track

In March, T-Online reported exclusively on a secret Russian convoy to the later attack sites, apparently prompting 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.

Shortly before the attacks on Nord Stream, the Bundeswehr also registered Russian military ships at the later crime scene. The Ministry of Defense confirms this when asked by T-Online. The authority made all related information available to the German Attorney General for its investigation. They must not be made public.

What happened

On September 26, 2022, explosions were initially recorded near the Danish island of Bornholm and a little later four leaks were discovered in three of the four pipelines. The Nord Stream 1 operator later spoke of metres-deep craters and widespread debris on the seabed.

Nord Stream 1 and 2 are each submerged as a double strand over a distance of about 1200 kilometers from Russia to Germany. Since 2011, Nord Stream 1 has supplied a significant portion of the natural gas imported into Europe.

The Ukrainian path, which also leads to Russia

In Germany, investigators reportedly focused on a chartered sailing yacht on which the sabotage team would have been. ARD, SWR and “Zeit” reported in March that, according to the researchers, a task force should have left Rostock. Traces must therefore also lead to Ukraine. According to the report, the yacht was allegedly rented by a company based in Poland, apparently owned by two Ukrainians.

There were also stops for the yacht in Wiek on Rügen and on the Danish island of Christiansø, northeast of Bornholm. According to later media reports, it was the Andromeda ship that had been provided by a landlord on the island of Rügen.

The traces of “Andromeda” are viewed with suspicion not only 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”.

Sources

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(t-online/dsc)