Hot leads to Nord Stream sabotage leads to Ukraine

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Several Ukrainians are said to be behind the attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines. This is the conclusion of investigative research by a European media pool, which also includes the “Tages-Anzeiger”. In addition, there are also state actors in German security circles. The detectives’ suspicion reads: “Anti-constitutional sabotage.” That there would have been a secret service involved – at least one. The Ukrainian? Or American?

Apparently, a few months ago, the German Federal Police (BKA) located a Polish travel agency called Feeria Lwowa. The suspects behind the Nord Stream blasts would have chartered the Andromeda yacht to reach the high seas killing sites because of this. Depending on the season, a week on board the 15.5-meter yacht costs around 3,200 to 4,500 euros. The suspected crew – probably five men and a woman – started in Rostock. They make intermediate stops not far from the point where the pipelines will later explode. Investigators later found the remains of an explosive device on board the ship that was “military and suitable for underwater use”.

According to the investigation, the travel agency is a front company. It was founded in 2016 by two Ukrainians. Today, the company, which kept a low profile until 2020, is owned by a 32-year-old Ukrainian. Since September 2021, a 55-year-old Ukrainian is also a director and partner in the company.

Further traces in the Ukraine

According to the research, the new partner is also the director of other companies in Poland and Ukraine. During the Covid pandemic, the letterbox company suddenly earned 2.8 million euros, the equivalent of about 2.72 million francs. The investigation does not exclude that the 2.8 million euros could be related to the chartering of the Andromeda.

Other tracks also lead to the Ukraine. False Bulgarian and Romanian passports are said to have been used when renting the Andromeda. In fact, a Romanian named “Stefan Marcu” was a 26-year-old Ukrainian, a soldier with striking tattoos. Another Ukrainian was also identified: a man from the Odessa area who is known to investigators and is said to have prepared the logistics of the attacks.

Meanwhile, Denmark, Sweden and the German Federal Criminal Investigation Department are investigating the case. The status of the investigations has been covered. When asked about the possible involvement of the Ukrainian authorities, the BKA headquarters in Wiesbaden said they “will not comment further on the ongoing investigation”. Especially not to “matters relating to any intelligence findings or activities”. This is not saying “whether the facts are true or not”. A denial, the investigative newspapers conclude, sounds different.

open questions

Many questions remain, including: Who were the divers and who would have trained them for such a sabotage operation? Was it possible that the explosives only came on board on the open sea? Or should a major deception simply be misled?

On September 27, 2022, Nord Stream reported “unprecedented damage” to three strands of the offshore gas pipelines. Swedish seismologists later said they detected two deep-sea explosions in the area in question on September 26, 2022.

Following the incident, Russia’s Attorney General launched a case on suspicion of international terrorism. The American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh (86) in turn accused his own government of sabotage, special divers from the US Navy had placed remote-controlled explosives in June under the guise of the Baltops NATO maneuvers. Three months later, according to Hersh on his website, the bombs would have destroyed three of the Nord Stream system’s four pipelines. (kes)

Source: Blick