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Nord Stream gas leak investigation

Seven people may have been involved in plot to blow up Nord Stream — Die Zeit

Sources say Ukrainian suspect Sergey K. acted as coordinator for a seven-member team

BERLIN, August 27. /TASS/. Seven individuals may have been involved in a sabotage group responsible for the explosions of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in the fall of 2022, according to reports by Die Zeit on Friday, which cited an arrest warrant.

Sources say Ukrainian suspect Sergey K. acted as coordinator for a seven-member team. Alongside him, five men and one woman allegedly took part in the operation, renting the Andromeda sailing yacht with forged passports and placing explosives on the pipelines.

Earlier, Der Spiegel revealed that Sergey K.'s trip to Italy - where he was detained - was not his first since September 2023. Security sources suggest that since then, he has repeatedly crossed the Ukrainian border under his real name. A graduate of a higher education institution specializing in training intelligence officers, Sergey K. previously worked for Ukrainian intelligence services until 2015, after which he entered the energy sector. Following the start of Russia’s military operation, he reportedly rejoined Ukraine's "special operations forces."

On August 21, the German Prosecutor General’s Office announced that Sergey K., a Ukrainian citizen, was detained in Italy on suspicion of involvement in the pipeline explosions. Prosecutors allege that he was part of a group that planted explosives on the gas pipelines near Bornholm in September 2022. Italian media identified the suspect as 49-year-old Sergey Kuznetsov, who reportedly arrived on Italy’s Adriatic coast with his family on August 18, ostensibly on vacation. In Germany, he faces trial and possible imprisonment of up to 15 years.

The explosions on September 26, 2022, caused unprecedented damage to three lines of the Nord Stream and the yet-to-be-commissioned Nord Stream 2. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has asserted that Moscow is confident the blasts were carried out with US support. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has opened a case, citing acts of international terrorism.

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Nord Stream gas leak investigation

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Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, December 3rd