Zelenskyy Denies Ukraine Role in Nord Stream Sabotage

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied that Ukraine was involved in the September 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. Speaking at the Ukraine Nordic-Baltic summit in Kyiv on Sunday, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine was never involved in the operation and expressed readiness to assist investigations to maintain international partnerships.

The denial follows the arrest of a second Ukrainian national, identified as Vladimir Z., in Croatia at the request of German authorities. Vladimir Z., a trained scuba diver, is allegedly part of a group that used explosives to destroy the pipelines near Bornholm, Denmark. He follows the previous arrest of another Ukrainian national, Serhii K., in Italy.

While the Federal Government of Russia has accused the United States, Ukraine, and Poland of being the beneficiaries and perpetrators of the blasts, Ukraine maintains it had no role in the attacks.