Status: 03/08/2023 11:03 am
According to research in which the ARD involved, traces of the Nord Stream explosions lead to Ukraine. German politicians stressed that they wanted to wait for further investigations. Both Kiev and Moscow doubt the evidence.
After the reports about possible causes of the explosions in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, German politicians expressed caution. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, for example, emphasized that the responsible authorities must first complete their investigations.
“Of course we follow all reports and also all findings that are available from different actors very, very intensively,” said the Green politician during her visit to the Kurdish capital Erbil in response to a journalist’s question. But it is necessary to wait for further investigations so that “we can then make assessments on the part of the government based on these findings and not prematurely draw conclusions for ourselves from reports”.
Pistorius: “Wait and see what is really confirmed”
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also reacted cautiously. He takes note of the research results with great interest, said the SPD politician Deutschlandfunk. “But we have to wait and see what is really confirmed. To comment hypothetically now, what if, I don’t think is expedient. That has to be clarified.”
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, Michael Roth, also spoke out for further clarification. “I hope that you can now shed some light behind the darkness, especially when it comes to the question of who is the actual client,” said the SPD politician on RTL / ntv, according to a message from the broadcaster. However, he acknowledges that the governments in Kiev and Washington have ruled out participation. He no longer wants to listen to such conspiracy theories. “This is also being deliberately fueled by the Russian side.”
Russia sees distraction in reports
Russia, on the other hand, interpreted the reports as diversionary maneuvers. “It is simply a means of diverting suspicion from those in official government positions who ordered and coordinated the attacks in the Baltic Sea to some abstract person,” the Russian embassy in the United States said on the Telegram news platform. Moscow blames the US and UK secret services for the attack.
In addition, the Russian Presidential Office spokesman Dmitry Peskov called for quick and transparent investigations into the explosions. Only a few days ago, Russia received corresponding notifications from Denmark and Sweden. “It’s not just strange. It smacks of a colossal crime.”
Kiev: Nothing to do with attacks
Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mikhail Podolyak stated in response to a request from ARD Capital Studio, “contrasts”, SWR and the “ZEIT” that Ukraine “of course has nothing to do with the attacks on Nord Stream 2”. He also wrote on Twitter that Kiev also had “no information about ‘pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups'”.
Similar report by the “New York Times”
The US newspaper “New York Times” reported at about the same time as the German reports of references to a pro-Ukrainian group. She cited unnamed US government officials. The New York Times report goes in a similar direction to the German research.
According to research by ARD, SWR and the “Zeit” there are traces in connection with the explosions on the gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 from the end of September 2022, leading to Ukraine. However, there was no evidence that the Ukrainian government was responsible for the destruction of the pipelines.
The pipelines were severely damaged by detonations in the autumn. Investigators quickly concluded that sabotage was behind the explosions.