Germany’s Nord Stream probe concludes, six Ukrainians charged

According to a joint report published by Die Zeit, ARD, and Süddeutsche Zeitung, investigators say they have identified all suspects involved in the sabotage. The warrants cover four divers, an explosives expert, a ship captain, and the alleged leader of the operation. Officials allege the suspects traveled under false names using genuine passports, a detail they say points to support from high-level Ukrainian officials.

In all, seven people took part in the operation. A seventh suspect, Serhiy Kuznetsov, was arrested in Italy on Aug. 21 under a European arrest warrant. He is currently fighting extradition to Germany and denies any wrongdoing.

According to the report:

• Diving instructor Volodymyr Zhuravlyov is accused of placing explosives under the pipelines. He was in Poland when the German warrant was issued and has since left the European Union.
•  Yevhen Uspensky, a colleague of Zhuravlyov’s at the same Polish diving school, initially belonged to a group that planned to target the TurkStream pipeline—another export route for Russian natural gas. When that operation was called off, investigators say, he joined the Nord Stream plot.  
• Businessman Rustem A., 41, whose company chartered the yacht Andromeda, is alleged to have financed the sea transit to the blast sites.  
• Vsevolod K., 52, who may have since been killed fighting in the Russo–Ukrainian war, once trained at a Bundeswehr base in Wildflecken before deployment to the front lines in Ukraine.  
• The Andromeda’s captain, Yuriy T. of Odesa, is described as an experienced seaman, but German prosecutors have not confirmed whether he is formally charged.

Der Spiegel previously reported that Kuznetsov was aboard the Andromeda but was not one of the divers. Prosecutors believe he served in a coordinating role.