exclusive
According to information from, Poland has Germany ARD, SZ and “Zeit” apparently handed over a list of Russian names – so is Moscow behind the explosions in the Nord Stream pipelines? People in Berlin should continue to be skeptical.
There were only a few days left until the anniversary of the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines. There was still no arrest warrant and the investigation against unknown persons was still ongoing. Several traces pointed to people in Ukraine. But there wasn’t much more in hand. Then suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Polish secret service agents apparently sent Germany a list of names – including several Russian ones. Was everything different now?
In September, the German security authorities set about reviewing the new information and assessing how ARD, “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (SZ) and “Zeit”. Poland apparently reported that some of the crew on board a yacht that security authorities had linked to the attack had been identified.
Several men who are said to have been at least partly on the sailing yacht “Andromeda” would have Russian citizenship. The Polish secret service also speculates that several people may have connections to Russian military intelligence.
German authorities are rather skeptical
According to the research, the assessment of the German officials was quick: be careful with this list. Basically, it doesn’t change anything about the previous investigation results, which continue to point primarily towards Ukraine.
“Welt am Sonntag” first reported on the list at the weekend. The document is available to the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and other security authorities, the newspaper reported. German investigators would view the information with caution – they suspected Polish disinformation in the current election campaign was behind it.
Polish investigators do not believe in the “Andromeda” theory
What is known is that Poland and Germany often interpret the previous investigation results into the sabotage differently. The focus is on “Andromeda”. In Berlin, people are convinced that the boat played a role in the attacks: in mid-September, Federal Prosecutor General Peter Frank stated in the Bundestag that, in the opinion of investigators, the ship had something to do with the execution of the crime.
However, not much progress had been made in identifying the crew – for example, the skipper had presented a fake Bulgarian passport with the name “Mihail Popov”.
According to official statements, the ship does not play a major role for Warsaw. Polish State Secretary Stanislaw Zaryn, responsible for coordinating his country’s secret services, explained a few weeks ago ARD, SZ and “Zeit”, Poland “found no traces of this yacht’s involvement in the events”. The trip had a “purely touristic character”.
When the crew was checked by Polish authorities in September 2022 in the port of Kolberg, no one was noticed “who had even a rudimentary military or sabotage-related training.” He did not say what he based these findings on. Zaryn also stated that the sabotage would best suit Russia.
Was there footage of the crew?
German investigators are skeptical about the statements from the neighboring country. At a meeting with Polish colleagues in May, there was said to be great distrust. One reason: German officials suspect that the suspicious crew of the sailing boat was not only checked but also recorded on video when it stopped in the port of Kolberg. However, the Germans are said not to have received any corresponding recordings yet.
Investigators and the federal government therefore believe it is possible that the list now sent by Poland is intended to highlight a Russian trace. How ARDSZ and “Zeit” have learned that, when transmitting the list of Russian names, Polish intelligence officers are said to have given the impression that, despite the new information directed towards Russia, they continue to assume that the preparation for the sabotage was probably carried out by Ukrainians .
False flag operation is still not ruled out
German officials are apparently also skeptical about the list because they had already known and checked some of the information that was now transmitted – without making any significant progress in the investigation. Even if there were Russians on board the yacht, that would hardly allow any conclusions to be drawn about the clients. The theory that the attack may have been carried out under a false flag, a so-called false flag, is still not ruled out.
The Russian authorities, for example, have repeatedly pointed out a foiled attack on the Turkstream pipelines a few days before the explosions at Nord Stream. A man entrusted with the execution was arrested at the time – a Russian, recruited by the Ukrainian secret service. However, when asked, Russia has not yet provided any evidence of this.