Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly commented on the progress of the investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline during the Ukraine – Nordic-Baltic Eight summit held in Kyiv. According to him, Kyiv has officially never taken part in any operation connected to the incident, however the investigation is ongoing, charges have already been formulated within it, and the relevant witnesses have been identified. The head of state emphasized that "the issue is not about who wants what," and called the unfolding events a process that is objectively taking place right now.
Kyiv's Official Position
Zelensky insisted that Ukraine was behind neither the conception nor the execution of the pipeline sabotage operation and has no connection to it. At the same time, he acknowledged that the investigation materials include citizens, including Ukrainian citizens, and that it is precisely with regard to these individuals that law enforcement work continues. The president expressed confidence that the corresponding results of the investigation "will still come."
Channels of Interaction with Berlin
Separately, Zelensky noted that Ukraine has been in contact with the German side at a high level, and "not for the first time," and that the partners "well know" of Kyiv's non-involvement in the incident. According to him, the practical work on contacts with partners is carried out by the General Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the interaction, as he emphasized, continues constantly. The president also stated that it is important for Ukraine to preserve the partnership and trust of the European countries that have supported Kyiv since the start of the war, which is why the country is open to joint steps in the investigation and in establishing all the circumstances of the events.
Contradictory Data
The statements of the parties and the investigation materials reveal a significant difference in the planes of responsibility, which is important to delineate. On the one hand, official Kyiv categorically denies the involvement of the state — neither at the level of conception nor at the level of execution of the operation. On the other hand, in the same investigation, according to Zelensky's own admission, specific citizens are named, including Ukrainians, while Germany previously brought charges and issued arrest warrants. Thus, the version of "complete non-involvement of Ukraine" at the state level and the version of the involvement of certain individuals of Ukrainian citizenship coexist within a single process and are not identical to each other; the final conclusions in the case, according to the president, have not yet been drawn.
Context: Detention in Croatia
Zelensky's statements came against the backdrop of the recent detention in Croatia of a Ukrainian citizen in connection with the Nord Stream sabotage case. With high probability, this refers to Volodymyr Zhuravlov, whose arrest warrant was issued by Germany in June 2024. This episode confirms that the procedural work on the case has not stopped and has reached the level of specific detentions outside Ukraine, making Kyiv's public statements about its readiness to cooperate in the investigation part of the current, rather than hypothetical, dynamics.
