German Investigators Discover Ship Used in Nord Stream Explosion: Die Zeit

German investigators have discovered a ship that is allegedly involved in the explosion of the Nord Stream pipeline. According to an investigation by the German newspaper Die Zeit, this vessel is a yacht rented by a company owned by two Ukrainians in Poland.

The operation at sea was carried out by a group of five men and one woman, which included a captain, two divers, their two assistants, and a doctor, the newspaper reports. At the same time, the identity and nationality of the criminals remain unclear, as they used false documents. Furthermore, the perpetrators of the sabotage have yet to be confirmed.

The publication reveals that the group departed from Rostock on September 6, 2022. By that time, the equipment was already in the harbor, and the crew was able to place explosives at the crime scene. According to the journalists, the ship was returned in an uncleaned state in September 2022, and traces of explosives were later discovered on it.

Die Zeit's article notes that Western intelligence services have informed their European partners that a “Ukrainian commander” is responsible for the sabotage. At the same time, investigators do not exclude the possibility that the operation could have taken place under a “false flag” and that evidence might have been planted to throw off the trail. Moreover, experts admit that the evidence pointing to Ukrainians could also be fabricated, although no evidence has yet been uncovered to support this.

Hours before Die Zeit's publication, The New York Times released an article stating that new data received by U.S. intelligence shows that last year's explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline was carried out by pro-Ukrainian groups. According to the newspaper, the explosives were likely placed with the help of experienced divers who probably did not work for military or intelligence services. However, it cannot be ruled out that they underwent special training financed by the state.

At the same time, U.S. intelligence has no evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or high-ranking Ukrainian officials were involved in the operation, according to NYT reporters. The publication does not disclose the group's name, nor the names of its members.

The newspaper's sources also did not reveal the nature of the obtained intelligence data, its sources, or present any evidence of the authenticity of this information.

Commenting on The New York Times' publication, Mikhail Podolyak, an advisor to the head of the office of President Zelensky, stated that Kyiv has “no connection to the incident in the Baltic Sea and has no information about sabotage groups that have supported Ukraine.”

For its part, Russia's deputy representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, stated on Twitter that the NYT material confirms Moscow's position that “we rightly insist on the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution to begin an international investigation into the Nord Stream sabotage under the leadership of the UN Secretary-General.” According to him, the vote on this issue will take place by the end of March.