Media report new details on Nord Stream pipeline explosions

Nord Stream. Photo: Getty Images

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines were blown up with at least four explosive charges fitted with timers that, according to German investigators, were delivered into the Baltic Sea on board the yacht Andromeda.

Source: documents reviewed by Swedish broadcaster SVT

Details: A 49-year-old man suspected of involvement in the explosions was recently detained at an Italian resort. German authorities said he is a Ukrainian citizen fluent in both Ukrainian and Russian.

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Documents indicate that a six-person crew was on board the Andromeda, including four divers. They installed at least four charges weighing between 14 and 27 kilograms each at a depth of 70-80 metres at night. High-power explosives – octogen and hexogen – were used for the detonation.

The detained suspect reportedly had a coordinating and planning role. The yacht was rented from the German island of Rügen in early September 2022 and returned only a few weeks later. Witnesses also reported that the vessel had docked at the port of Sandhamn in Sweden to refuel.

Initially, several countries, including Sweden, investigated the explosions and deployed underwater drones to gather evidence. However, in February 2024, the Swedish Prosecutor’s Authority closed its case and transferred the materials to Germany.

The German court stated that the investigation is ongoing and that they are currently awaiting the suspect’s extradition from Italy. Once extradited, he is expected to appear before an investigative judge, but the timeline for the proceedings remains uncertain.

Background:

• Serhii Kuznetsov was arrested by Italian police in the Rimini area on Wednesday evening under a European arrest warrant issued at the request of the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office. The media reported that he had been in Italy on holiday.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the time that Kyiv was not involved in the explosions and suggested thinking about who might have benefited from spreading such claims in the media.
• Kuznetsov, a Ukrainian national arrested in Italy on suspicion of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion, has denied the accusations, insisting he was in Ukraine at the time of the explosion.

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