Mihailo Podoliak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has firmly denied Ukraine's involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline explosions and has instead pointed the finger at Russia.
Points to Russia
According to Hotnews this statement comes in response to recent developments where Germany issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian diver, following allegations of sabotage, according to Reuters.
Podoliak argued that such an act would require extensive technical and financial resources, which, he claims, only Russia possessed at the time of the explosions. “Only Russia had the capability and resources necessary for such an operation,” Podoliak stated.
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which transport gas beneath the Baltic Sea, were severely damaged by explosions in September 2022. This incident occurred seven months after Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, escalating tensions and energy security concerns across Europe.
Germany Issued Arrest Warrant
On Wednesday, Polish prosecutors revealed that Germany had issued a European arrest warrant for a Ukrainian man identified only as Volodimir Z. in connection with the attack. However, the suspect has already left Poland, complicating the investigation.
In a response to these allegations, Podoliak emphasized that Ukraine gained no strategic or tactical advantage from the Nord Stream explosions. He criticized the notion that Ukrainian officials could be implicated in the incident, suggesting instead that Russia is the most likely party behind the sabotage.
Russia has previously blamed the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine for the pipeline explosions, all of which have denied involvement. Meanwhile, investigations by Germany, Denmark, and Sweden have confirmed that the explosions were intentional, with Swedish authorities finding traces of explosives on debris recovered from the site.
